Adjusting Realities
by callandra
Summary: 8 months after the rooftop in Dallas, Godric's unexplained return throws a wrench into the lives of not just Eric, but Godric's only human friend. Word of warning,this will be pretty AU in that I'm not following canon much past season 2. Godric & Eric, NOT slash. Rated T for probable swearing, may go up to M later for violence, not smut.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, housekeeping items. First, and most importantly, I hate repeating myself so I'm going to say this once and once only, and it will stand as the disclaimer for the rest of this story. If you recognize it from TV or the books, I don't own it. It is the product of someone else's hard work, and I'm not going to try to take credit for it. If you don't recognize it, then I made it up and that's a whole other story **** Also, I have no Beta for this, so any mistakes are entirely mine.**

**Second: this is my first trip into True Blood land, just in case no one noticed that. Doesn't mean it will be the last, but it's the one that got stuck on a repeating loop in my head. That said, I have a lot of stuff rolling around in my head and a number of active stories, so no promises on regularly scheduled updates (although I've noticed the ADD plot gnomes do focus more on stories that get more reviews). I do promise that I've never abandoned a story before, and I don't plan to start now, so it will be continued if people can have patience.**

**Third: I've become quite the narcissist apparently, because nothing makes my day like checking my email to find reviews from you lovely readers. A note on reviews: It takes quite a lot to hurt my feelings, so if you have something constructive to say, even if it's critical, I welcome it. However, if you're just going to be mean for the sake of being mean, with no suggestions on how something could be improved, be advised that I will laugh my butt off at how cute it is that you think your opinion matters and use you as examples of arrogance/ignorance when talking to friends. Also, if you want a response to your review, please make sure to sign in so that I can actually respond. **

**Finally: Anything italicized will be a flashback, or at some point maybe just a thought. There will be entire chapters that are flashbacks, because that's just how this is turning out in my head, but that will be noted in the chapter title. **

**Anyone still with me on this, please feel free to now actually get to the first chapter of the madness that is my imagination.**

_He wanted to burn. To burn was bringing a peace he'd not felt in some time. And a human was with him, crying for him. It was no lie to say that in this action, a human woman crying over his death, he saw God. His hope was that Sookie was right, and that God would forgive._

He didn't know where he was. He knew only that he WAS, when he shouldn't be. His soul was once again in an immortal body. He was thirsty, and though he could see the wind blowing through the trees, he didn't feel the cold. A glance down at his chest revealed that even his tattoos were intact.

The thirst was making itself know. It made sense, he supposed. His body was demanding blood to heal completely. Closing his eyes, he listened for a nearby heartbeat. The area was dark, completely dark. There was no visible light, no fires from human homes. Wherever he was, he did not appear to be close to any human settlements. He might have to satisfy his thirst with an animal.

There. A rapid heartbeat and hooves pounding as the animal ran. Something had startled a deer and sent it running. He followed the heartbeat and was on the animal, draining it in seconds. He felt better for having blood in him. He could begin to think clearly, though he was still thirsty.

His first order of business was to find a human village. He knew instinctively that animal blood would not hold him long. HE must have human blood. Then he must find out how long he'd been gone, and determine where, precisely, he was. And he must find a safe place to go to ground before the sun rose, though he could feel that dawn was several hours off. He was certain it had not been full dark for very long.

He sniffed, carefully, for the tell-tale scent of a human village on the wind. The smell of unwashed bodies and so much waste was unmistakable. The odor nearly overwhelmed the scent of the blood in the largest villages. It was strange that he could smell nothing as he walked carefully. A vampire could never be too ware of human hunters.

The land was flat. Almost entirely flat. He didn't recognize this place. The small wooded area he left seemed to be the only woods for miles. He froze when he came upon something completely unknown. Cutting through the land, a giant swath of black. It could not be natural. Was it some polluted river? Might that explain why there were no humans around? Had they destroyed this land and moved on?

A cautious touch proved the black to be solid. What could it possibly be? It was cool to his bare feet, yet he could feel a remaining trace of earlier warmth. Strange. This thing must have been built by humans; no vampire would bother with such a task when it served no useful purpose. It brought to mind some of the stone-paved roads built by the Romans for their chariots. Could this be a road, though he didn't recognize the stone? Might it lead to a human settlement? Perhaps the humans of this country were more advanced than the savage tribes he'd hunted.

These stars were unknown to him as he walked the black path. Where was he? How did he come to be at this place? The questions rolled through his mind as he walked, unconscious of how much time passed, knowing only that his time until sunrise was waning. As he'd suspected the animal blood was fading. He must find a human, and soon.

The sight of lights growing brighter in the distance gave him hope that he was at least reaching a human settlement. Though unlike any light he'd ever know, they were not the stars, so they must be from humans. Unless they were witches—witches he knew to be wary of. Witches and vampires rarely lived in peace with each other.

The dull roar he'd heard for a short time grew increasingly louder. It was a sound foreign to his ears, but as it grew louder a light appeared at his feet, illuminating the black. A sound, even louder than the roar, threatened to deafen his vampiric ears and he turned to see a monster barreling down at him. He knew not what it was at it screamed at him, but it was no match for his speed, and he easily evaded it. It could only be some form of black magic that created such a being.

He waited until he was sure the creature was alone before continuing on the black. He felt drawn in this direction, as if he was meant to go this way. As if he was being called to something. He felt helpless to do anything against the feeling: a bond, pulling him towards the other end.

After an eternity, or was it only a moment, of walking through the empty darkness, he at last came to the human settlement. Everything was strange. He didn't recognize these dwellings. They reached into the night sky, touching the stars. Some of them were so tall he couldn't see where they stopped.

He didn't understand the words the humans spoke as they addressed him. He felt as if he should understand them but the tongue was foreign to him. It was frustrating; he was certain the knowledge was there, in his mind, but it seemed just beyond his grasp. He knew the comments were directed at him, as well as the disbelieving looks. They didn't matter. Nothing mattered—not the humans, not his state of complete nudity, not even his growing thirst—as he sped through the massive settlement towards the pull of the bond.

He finally came to a stop outside a strange dwelling. It was made up of multiple buildings, and the black spread into it. Filing the black were many of those strange creatures he'd encountered earlier, but they were silent and dark. At the moment, they appeared to be no threat.

Apart from the buildings was a large grassy field bordered with tress, and it was to that he went. Countless humans were seated on long benches, all facing what must be some sort of game. Even as he watched, misshapen humans in the most bizarre attire attacked each other on the field. Their shoulders and chests were grotesquely large, completely disproportionate to the rest of their bodies, and they used them to tackle each other. Their leggings were so tight he wondered why they bothered with them. Some sort of ball flew through the air, and one of the breathers caught it and began running for the end of the field. Now all the players were angling for this one human, as the observers cheered. What sort of people had he stumbled on that force their deformed to participate in such violence for their amusement? They were as bloodthirsty as the Romans, who delighted in the gladiators of the arenas.

It could not be one of those unfortunates on the field that he was so drawn to, and his gaze left the barbaric game and roamed the audience. He could detect no others of his kind with whom he might share a bond. Could it be that this bond belonged with a human? Even as he told himself it was impossible he had to consider that it was the truth. How else could he account for the need to come to this place, apart from a blood bond drawing him to his bonded? And if there were no vampires, it must be a human. But what human could he possibly find worthy of giving his blood? The blood was sacred; he would give it to no one but those he made. How was it that a breather had his blood? If he had formed a bond with a human, why had he not turned them?

His gaze landed on a human woman seated halfway up the seats, sparing half her attention for the game, giving the other half to a human she was in conversation with. He growled to himself at their proximity. This female was his; he knew it with absolute certainty, and she dared take a mate? The urge to snatch the human and spirit her away was nearly overwhelming. He kept himself hidden, but only barely. This settlement was too large to kill indiscriminately; he would be hunted down if he killed all the humans at this game, as he wished to do. He would wait until they were away from other humans to kill the man and take the woman.

His thirst would no longer be ignored. Now that he knew who he was looking for, the need for blood took precedence over anything else. Knowing where to return, he sped away from the game and back in the direction of the primary settlement. He had no difficulty in finding a lone human in an alley between buildings, although he spared a moment to wonder why, in a settlement with so many buildings, someone lived homeless in an alley. These people had more in common with the Romans than he first thought.

He returned just as the game was ending. To his surprise, no one on the field was executed. Those who lost walked off just as those who won, and the breathers in the audience poured out onto the field, embracing both the victorious and the defeated. He kept his attention fixed on his human female and the male. He would follow them to their home, and then dispose of the man. He was amazed when they followed a number of humans onto the black, and watched as so many opened up the sleeping creatures and actually climbed inside them. They came to live with the same roar he heard earlier, but they seemed to be completely under the control of the humans inside. He realized that these creatures must be some sort of machine, some form of conveyance. Yes, it must be so, as he now clearly noticed that they were wheeled.

The woman embraced the man, which prompted the urge to simply sweep in and tear him apart, but when they separated they climbed into different vehicles. Likely this man was not a mate then; no man would allow his woman to travel alone. This fact saved the human's life. Perhaps he was some kin to the woman.

With his ability to fly he was easily able to keep pace with the female's transportation unnoticed. He took care to note the route they took, as he would need to remember it so that he might find his way back when he needed to feed again. They were travelling away from the settlement, and the further they travelled the less populated the area. Good.

The vehicle pulled off the main road, and finally came to a stop in front of a rather isolated home. The dwelling brought to mind his maker's home, before he was turned. There were no lights inside the home, only lamps on the outside. It was pleasing to see that she was alone. Unless this was his home as well?

He waited out of sight, hidden by a tree, until she climbed from the vehicle and walked the pathway to the door. The temptation to follow was irresistible and he wasted no time in trying. Moving more quickly than a human would ever see he was behind her before she could open the door. She turned in surprise and dropped the keys, almost choking on a scream. The look she wore was sheer disbelief, and then she spoke.

"Godric?"

TB-TB-TB-TB-TB-TB-TB-TB-TB

This was impossible. Mercy decided she must finally have lost her mind. It was the only explanation. Godric had chosen to burn to death in the sun more than eight months ago; how could he now be standing in front of her unless she was hallucinating? Ethan had accused her of losing her marbles before; he must have been right.

But no; this was no hallucination. He was staring at her as if he wanted to sink his teeth into her and drain her dry. She'd seen that look on his face frequently in the last months she saw him.

"Godric?"

He cocked his head to the side, curiously, but made no answer.

"How are you alive?"

It shouldn't be—she'd made the trip to Bon Temp to speak with the human who'd been on the roof with him in person. That visit was burned indelibly into her memory, as painful as if it was only yesterday.

"_Miss Stackhouse?"_

_The perky blonde insisted on being called Sookie as she led her to a table. She'd show absolutely no hesitation at meeting a complete stranger in a restaurant, and Mercy almost worried for the girl's mental health. This Merlotte's was possibly the most unassuming hole-in-the-wall she'd ever been to. It was practically empty, save for them and the employees._

"_My name is Mercedes Wright. I'm—I was—"_

"_I'm so sorry!"_

_She found herself on the receiving end of a fierce hug before she could even get a word out. How had this woman-? Right. Eric said she was "special"._

"_That's one way to put it. Between hearing thoughts and finding bodies, and now my vampire fiancé's gone missing, special's putting it mildly. But you knew Godric?"_

_Mercy nodded in response._

"_Eric said you were with him at the end?"_

_The blonde needed no more encouragement to launch into her story._

He still hadn't answered her. He looked almost confused when she spoke.

"Godric, its Mercy."

Again, his head cocked to the side and he looked at her, puzzled. Did he not understand? As the immediate shock began to fade, Mercy realized that his understanding was not her biggest worry at the moment. He was standing on her front porch completely naked. If any of her neighbors was to drive down the street right now….

She bent down to retrieve her keys, resolutely refusing to look anywhere but the ground, and then the door as she stood. After finally getting the door open, she ushered him inside and left him standing in the foyer as she hurried to turn off the alarm. She turned back to the entryway only to find him right behind her again.

"Stop doing that!"

The puzzled look was back briefly before he leaned in; nuzzling her shoulder as he murmured something she didn't understand. She stiffened when she heard him inhaling deeply. The blasted vampire was sniffing her! She heard the tell tale click that his fangs had dropped and hastily backed away.

"You better put those things away right now, mister! I didn't let you just bite me when you felt like it before, and I'm not gonna start now."

He looked hurt at her refusal, which was followed swiftly by determination, and he started stalking her around the room. The living room was massive, but it was filled with furniture that blocked Mercy's escape route, and she cursed his preternatural speed when he easily caught her. He pinned her into the leather couch and straddled her so that she couldn't maneuver away again. Content that she was contained, he returned to nuzzling her neck before moving onto her hair. Mercy thought about painfully nudging certain sensitive (and very exposed) areas just to prove a point, but admitted temporary defeat.

"You could at least put some pants on, kid."

It was no surprise that he didn't answer, as she was beginning to suspect he really didn't understand her. Instead he continued to pet her, and she heard him purring.

"Oh for goodness' sake! What am I, catnip?"

This was almost disturbing. In a decade, she'd never seen the vampire this affectionate. Even after Godric had finally taken her up on the invitation to make himself at home with her, he rarely did more than clasp a hand to her shoulder or arm. He'd only actually held her once in the ten years she'd known him.

"Alright, who are you and what have you done with Godric?"

This time there was no mumbling. She clearly understood that words were coming out of his mouth; she just didn't know the language.

"Okay Godric, I'm really going to need you to start speaking a language I can understand. English is preferable."

He at least paused in his petting as he looked up at her, but his expression was one of annoyance. From the tone of his voice, his response to her demand was a question, but Mercy didn't understand a word of it.

"Do you understand me, Godric? Do you understand English?"

The man was a linguist's dream. He'd forgotten more languages than she could ever learn in her lifetime. He'd been speaking English for the last seven hundred years; it shouldn't be possible that he didn't understand her. But he was staring at her as if she was the one with the problem, and he had yet to use her native language. Godric wasn't one for unnecessary pranks or teasing; he seemed to genuinely not understand. Mercy had to wonder what else he'd apparently "lost" when he came back from the dead.

"Godric, do you know who I am?" she asked, this time in French. He'd always made fun of her accent (even though it was practically nonexistent) but he should still understand her. All she received was another blank look before he returned to petting her hair.

"Oh, honey, what happened to you?"

She needed help. She knew she couldn't possibly figure out what happened, or help Godric recover his memory—if it would even be possible to do so—by herself. The question was who to call. Much as she wanted to call Isabel that might not be a good idea. Isabel was Sheriff now, which meant she reported directly to the King of Texas. And news of a vampire back from the dead? Mercy shuddered to think what the king might do to Godric if he managed to get his hands on him. No, Isabel wasn't a possibility.

That really only left one alternative though Mercy was rather loathe to make the call. Eric had made no secret of his dislike for her, accusing her of driving Godric to suicide with her humanity. Pissing him off by demanding to know where he'd been if he cared so damn much wasn't the wisest decision she'd ever made, but to the Viking's credit, he hadn't snapped her neck. All things considered, she'd gotten off easy with a warning to never call him for anything less than life threatening trouble and keep the hell out of his way.

No, she really didn't want to call Eric Northman, but he was her most likely ally in this. Pushing at the vampire who'd now decided that her necklace was more fascinating than her hair and was pulling at the pieces of abalone shell, she fumbled around her pockets until she could pull the cell phone from her jeans. He yelped when his fingers came into contact with the silver chain and burned. The look he gave her was one of unmistakable hurt, before he fixed his stare on the phone in her hands. Mercy ignored his curiosity as she scrolled through her contact and pulled up the one phone number she'd never planned on actually using.

"This is Eric Northman," he answered in a bored tone, and Mercy was reminded of how much she couldn't stand the man. How did anyone manage to sound so smug and utterly bored at the same time?

"Eric, its Mercedes Wright."

"Where are you and how much trouble are you in?"

She'd give him credit; he was incredibly loyal to his maker. So much so that he was immediately prepared to aid a woman he couldn't stand.

"It's not life threatening, Eric, but it's incredibly important."

"What is it?" and now he just sounded pissed off again. Frickin' arrogant Viking. He was gorgeous, and he knew it, and he'd taken personally the fact that she hadn't fallen at his feet on their first meeting.

"It's something you really have to see to believe. How soon can you come to Dallas?"

"I'm in no mood for games, human," he all but growled into the phone.

"And I'm not playing any, vampire. I give my word; you're going to want to see this yourself."

She could practically hear the debate going on in his head.

"I'll be there tomorrow evening. Did you move into his house?"

"Considering he left it to me, yes, I did. Come as soon as you can, Eric."

Well that was rude, she thought to herself when the Viking hung up on her, not even bothering with a farewell. Mercy focused back on the vampire still sitting on her lap, who'd managed to grab her phone. While he was momentarily distracted, she reached behind her for the afghan and pulled it down, then wrapped it around his shoulders. She hoped he would tire of sitting on her soon. He was heavy, with the bulk of his weight sitting on one part of her body, and she was in desperate need of a shower. Plus she had no intention of sleeping on the couch. She winced as he started shaking the phone.

"So not a good idea kid."

Godric was puzzled as he tried to work out the thing he held in his hand. His human had talked into it, and he heard another voice come out of it; a voice that was achingly familiar. Try as he might, though, he could not make the thing work.

That was only the latest of a string of puzzling events this night. Most disturbing among them was not the fact of his existence (he knew well that dark magic could accomplish all manner of impossible things) but that his human didn't understand him. She didn't answer when he asked if she knew what happened to him; at least not in a language he spoke. Surely they spoke a common tongue? But no, he switched from Gaulish to the Latin the Romans had spoken, but she appeared to recognize neither. He even attempted the Norse he'd only just begun to master, but even that yielded no comprehension.

The only explanation was one that worried him. Whatever had brought him back into life had returned only partial memory. He recognized the woman as his, but nothing of his surroundings was familiar. He did not even know his human's name. He must be missing a large portion of his memory, and no one removed memories for a benign reason. But he did not even know what he needed to protect himself and his human from.

She covered him with a blanket; his human was shy. He would have to break her of that. Clothing was such a recent novelty for him—never had he been as covered as his human was now.

"Why do you not wish to feed me, child?" he asked, but as expected received no answer. Why should his human shy at giving him her blood? He was so very thirsty, but didn't wish to frighten her. Not when she needed him to protect her. He was unsure whether he could glamour her into allowing him to feed when they didn't speak a common tongue. It didn't feel right to do so, at any rate.

His human was growing fidgety, and trying to push him off. He allowed it; curious to see where she would go he climbed off her. She pulled the blanket closed as she stood, effectively hiding his body from her view. Smirking, he shrugged the blanket off, letting it fall to the floor.

"You would choose now to embrace your inner man-child, wouldn't you?"

The words made no sense, but she was smiling, even if she still avoided looking at him. He allowed her to pass him and followed her, curious about this house. There were so many strange things, and so many rooms for a single person. She stepped into a bedroom, and he took in a massive bed. An entire family could sleep in that single bed. Or two people could make other great uses of it. Perhaps they could explore some of those uses later.

He turned at the sound of a door shutting to realize that his human had left him. The closing door was falling shortly by the sound of running water. It almost sounded like rainfall, which was most confusing as he would have notice any change in the weather. Hesitating only a moment, he burst into the room.

He froze as he took in his human standing naked inside an almost transparent enclosure, under and inside waterfall. Steam was filling the room, saturating everything in her scent, and he inhaled deeply. Without further thought he stepped in behind her.

Mercy spun around with a yelp when she heard the click of the door opening and closing. What the—?

"Seriously?"

She may not have understood his response, but she could see where his gaze was fixated, and figured it was either a compliment or an indecent proposition. The suspicion that it was the latter was all but confirmed when his mouth settled on her collar bone, his hands settled on her waist, and she found herself backed into the wall.

"Okay, Godric, stop right there. We really can't do this."

There were so many reasons why this was a Bad Idea. Mercy forgot every single one of them when he kissed her. It was the first time his lips had ever touched hers in such an intimate way. "Oh, the hell with it," she thought to herself. She'd spent ten years ignoring her subconscious want of this man, and after tomorrow night she'd likely never see him again. Just this once she was going to do what she wanted.


	2. 10 Years Earlier

Mercy walked out of the dean's office, still expecting to wake from what could only be a bizarre nightmare. But the police escorting her from the college campus to the morgue reminded her that this was no dream. Her parents really were dead, and she really was on the way to identify their bodies.

The officer who drove her to the hospital couldn't be nicer, but Mercy wasn't ready for the sympathy, however genuine she knew it to be. She was numb at the moment, and really needed to stay numb. Grief could come after she made arrangements, and did what had to be done. Then she could break down; not before.

The doctor who came to escort them to the bodies went on about the likelihood that neither of them knew what happened. Was that supposed to be comforting? She didn't know. He warned her that the bodies were pretty damaged from the trauma, but they'd been cleaned up enough to verify their identity. As they stepped into the morgue the only thing Mercy could think was that it was terribly dark in the room—just how depressing were they trying to make it for people who were already grieving? But no, they probably meant the dim light to be soothing.

"Take your time, Miss Wright," the officer (what WAS her name? Mercy couldn't remember) urged as the doctor pulled the sheets from the corpses heads.

"It's them."

Oh, God in heaven, they really were dead. She was only twenty-two; they weren't supposed to be dead yet. Her college graduation was in three weeks, they had to be there for it.

She only heard about half of what the officer said as her mind automatically went to the task of making funeral arrangements and the paperwork that would have to be filled out. What? Were they finished already?

"Actually, can someone take me back to campus? I need to get my car."

The lot was almost empty when she reached it, only barely remembering to thank the officer who'd dropped her off. Classes were over for the night. The only people left were the residents, and those who were either partying or studying. Mercy decided to head over to the student center and stop at the vending machines before she headed home; there was too much to do to sleep. She had to email her professors, and the high school to let them know she wouldn't be in for student teaching the next day. Did her parents leave a Will? She would need to contact their lawyer in the morning.

She was surprised to see that she wasn't the only person in the parking lot. She must have been more inside her head than she thought, to not have noticed the pale young man before. He didn't really look old enough to be a student; maybe he was someone's relative? Someone who'd wandered to the wrong end of the campus and had trouble figuring out where he was now?

Not that he was her problem, but he didn't even seem concerned at being obviously lost. Did the kid have no self-preservation instincts? The campus wasn't as safe as the recruiters made it sound.

It seemed the world was determined to prove her point when her attention was distracted from the boy by squealing tires, and she couldn't look away when the boy and the car collided. Dear God, not twice in one day. She watched in horror as the boy sailed through the air, and the car sped away. She heard people inside it yelling, asking each other what had just happened. She took a look at the licenses plate, but couldn't see it clearly as she was more focused on the boy who lay on the ground unmoving.

Mercy covered the distance between her and the boy as quickly as she could. He was covered in multiple cuts, and she could see obviously broken bones. And he wasn't breathing. Not good. She checked for a pulse and couldn't find one.

"Help!" she screamed, hoping someone would hear her and call for help. It was a gamble; either take the time to call 911 or try to get his heart started. Mercy tilted the boy's head back and covered his mouth with her own, blowing air into his lungs. After two breaths she placed her hands over his heart and started compressions.

"Buddy, if you can hear me in there you'd better freakin' fight! I can't take anyone else dying on me today."

After eight compressions she stopped to blow two more breaths, and returned to her compressions. It was as she was leaning down for the third time that everything went into slow motion. The boy, who only moments earlier had been practically dead, now had a death grip on her neck, and pulled her down so that she collapsed on top of him. She felt his mouth on her neck, and then excruciating pain as it felt like he was trying to suck the life out of her. What the heck was going on?

"Stop! Please, you have to let me go now!"

She pulled ineffectually at the hand wrapped around her neck. She felt something wet and warm running down her neck. Was she bleeding?

"Kid, you have to stop now!"

She tugged some more, but she could feel herself growing weaker. This was it; she was going to die because some kid managed to literally suck her dry. It didn't register that his mouth was no longer on her, or that he was now sitting up and held her in his lap. It didn't matter that his impossibly sharp canines were tearing into his own wrist, or that he was holding his now bleeding wrist to her mouth. A languorous feeling was stealing over her, and she just wanted to go to sleep.

"Please, you must drink or you will die."

Something was pressed to her lips, something warm flowing in, and she instinctively swallowed. Her mouth filled again, and she swallowed a second time when she grabbed onto it and held on. Whatever this strange boy was giving her was working. She already felt better. All too soon, it was taken away, and she reached for his wrist again. She watched, stupefied, as the injury healed before her eyes.

"How do you feel?" the boy asked in heavily accented English. Mercy slowly sat up and looked around. How did she feel? Her head snapped to the side as she heard the sound of footsteps on gravel. There was no one else in the lot, and the nearest lot was a good ten minute walk. She turned her head again and saw two people walking by the Philosophy department. Had she actually heard them all the way over here?

"Your senses will be heightened for a time; a side effect of the blood."

He wasn't kidding. Everything was sharper. She could smell things on the breeze. She could hear snatches of conversation by the buildings. She could feel the vibrations on the road as a car drove past the lot.

"What a head trip."

"My apologies."

He stared directly at her, and Mercy felt herself getting drawn into a pair of ageless blue eyes. This boy couldn't be more than seventeen, tops, so why did he look so old at the moment?

"You will forget the events of this night. You will not remember me, or the car that hit me. You will go home, and it will be as if nothing happened."

Her laugh at that was bitter. Her parents were gone; this boy had almost killed her then somehow saved her; and she was supposed to go home and forget this all happened just because he said so? He must be mad.

"If only."

She missed the look of confusion as she pushed herself to her feet. Whatever just happened (and she would try to work that out in her mind on a day she wasn't already dealing with death) she had far more important things to worry about. She didn't have the time to stand around with a kid who didn't seem human.

The boy stood quickly—too quickly—and took her carefully by the shoulders, staring at her again.

"You will not remember what happened here this night."

She shrugged free of his grip. He was starting to scare her.

"I can't forget something just because you say so, kid. Believe me, I wish I could. And you should be getting back to wherever you came from, if you're alright."

She was certain she was hallucinating. There was no other explanation for a boy getting hit by a car, then getting up and walking around after his heart stopped beating. She was having a breakdown; she must be. This kid wasn't really here, and she was talking to herself.

Feeling strangely better for realizing that none of this really just happened, and that she was imagining all of it, Mercy headed back to her car, patting her pockets for her keys. Her hallucination didn't follow her, but as she drove away she saw him standing in the same place she'd left him. She dismissed it all from her mind until she got back to her apartment and discovered that the collar and shoulder of her shirt was covered in blood. It showed up quite clearly on her yellow shirt.

She didn't know what woke her. Maybe it was the feeling of being watched. Maybe it was the feeling of unfamiliar sheets—her sheets came from Wal-mart, they weren't satin. They might be the same color and pattern, but they were far too soft. Whatever it was, she was wide awake, and she knew she wasn't alone.

"How did you get in here?"

"You let me in."

It was the boy she'd hallucinated, but strangely she wasn't afraid. It was as if she'd expected him. Indeed, even as she thought that he was slipping out of his clothes and sliding between the sheets, as comfortable as if he'd done it a thousand times before. He seemed perfectly at home running his hands along her torso. And when precisely did she give up her yoga pants and tank top for a silk chemise?

"You really should be more careful of strangers at your door."

"Are you saying I should throw you out?"

"Never."

His smiled at her before playfully nipping her shoulder as his hand slid the silk upwards, nudging a knee between hers. His teeth barely grazed the skin, and it felt incredible. Blue eyes stared into green, silently asking permission before he slid the chemise all the way up, and then pulled it off completely.

Mercy sat up with a gasp, rubbing her neck. What the heck was that dream about? And why on earth had she fallen asleep on her rather purgatorial sofa?

TB-TB-TB-TB-TB-TB-TB

Mercy finished unloading the last of her boxes, exhausted. It had taken her most of the last three weeks to get her things boxed and moved from her apartment back to her parent's house. It made more sense to move back home, where she didn't have to pay rent, than to try to go through everything immediately to get the house ready for sale. Several of her friends had helped her move the last of her things before the graduation ceremony.

She still had to unpack, but she would leave that for another day. The only thing she wanted at the moment was a glass of sweet tea and a slice of red velvet cake. Bless Kate for baking and for waiting until she'd actually need food to do it. She'd had to throw away so much food that first week.

Mercy cut herself a generous slice of cake and poured a glass of tea, then headed to the living room. This should keep her going for awhile. She turned on the television and began mindlessly flipping through channels until she found a station playing Aliens. Good. She was in the mood to see an alien rip its way out of a person's chest.

She was at the good part, the part where Ripley and Newt were trapped in the infirmary trying to escape the face huggers, when she was startled by the doorbell ringing. She looked over at the clock. Who could be knocking on her door after 10 pm? She checked to make sure that her pistol was within reach before going to the door. When she looked through the glass, she nearly fainted.

"I know you're in there. I've no wish to harm you, but I must speak with you."

Mercy debated ignoring the request, until she considered the odds that he would go away. Taking a deep breath, she unlocked the door and pulled it open to see the boy she was sure wasn't real.

Godric waited as he heard the human's heartbeat accelerate. Three weeks of debating whether to find her ended when Isabel informed him that he was very nearly worthless, distracted as he was. She was a puzzle, the human woman; a puzzle he found he could not stop dwelling on. He could feel her emotions and while she dreamt of him nightly, the most common emotion he felt was nearly overwhelming grief. What could cause such grief in one so young? Finally he came to the conclusion that he must seek her out.

"I'm not hallucinating, am I?"

She'd believed that night to be a hallucination?

"No, you're not. May I come in? We have much to discuss."

If nothing else, he must learn why he was unable to glamour her. He'd never encountered a human he couldn't glamour. It was the simplest thing in the world for him to take control of a human mind. A human who couldn't be glamoured could be seen as a potential threat to his kind.

"I don't think so."

Wait. She was refusing him?

"If I'm not hallucinating now, that means I wasn't hallucinating that night when you had no pulse and still manage to almost kill me."

"I give you my word I will not harm you. And if you will remember, I also healed you."

"I consider that only fair since you're the reason I needed healing in the first place. But if this is real, how was any of that possible?"

"Is that really a discussion you wish to have standing in your doorway?"

He didn't wish to converse with the woman standing just outside her door. He decided to try once more to glamour her.

"You wish to invite me into your home."

"You're pretty full of yourself, aren't you?"

He blinked. The glamour still didn't work. She didn't invite him in. Instead she surprised him by disappearing momentarily, returning with a drink and a half eaten slice of cake. She stepped past him and settled onto the porch swing. Godric was unsure if this was wise, or incredibly foolish. She prevented him from entering her home, but on the porch she was completely at his mercy. Worse, she couldn't possibly understand the risk she was taking.

"Speak."

She commanded him to speak? He couldn't recall the last time someone spoke to him that way. Even when Isabel gave him a piece of her mind, her words were still tinged with respect. The woman was watching him, eating her cake as she waited for his answer.

Now that he was faced with the human again he was unsure where to begin. If she couldn't be glamoured, there was no way to explain that night's events without revealing the truth of what he was. Although the Authority had opened the possibility of disclosing their existence once the synthetic blood was perfected, that revelation was still years away, if it ever happened. This knowledge could put the human in danger.

"What happened that night is regrettable."

"In more ways than you can imagine," her heard her mutter to herself. If he'd been human, he wouldn't have been able to hear it.

"IF you had not been kind enough to attempt to assist me—"

"I watched you get hit by a car! What was I supposed to do? Nothing?"

"That would have been better, for your sake."

He was still shamed that he'd attacked the very person attempting to save him. Being hit by a car was no excuse. Such loss of control was expected of a newborn. He was two millennia old. He'd not been injured so grievously that he should lose control, yet that was precisely what he did.

"Okay, you have to tell me what actually happened that night. I swear you didn't have a pulse. And it felt like you were trying to rip my throat out with your teeth. And—you fed me your blood, and it fixed me. That kind of stuff just doesn't happen in the real world."

"I'm a vampire."

"Oh, come on. This is already close enough to a B horror movie. Don't make it worse."

She didn't believe him. She had all the evidence before her yet she didn't believe him. He dropped his fangs and bared his teeth at her. Showing was always easier than telling. His human fell silent.

"Oh dear God."

"I needed blood after the car hit me, and you were so close. I lost control, and pierced your artery, which is why I had to feed you my blood. I couldn't let you die after you saved my life."

There was more he wished to say, but he didn't want to overwhelm her. He wanted to know more about the woman, and in order to do that he had to earn her trust. He couldn't quite decipher the look on her face. Was she getting ready to bolt? He knew that if she did, he would stop her.

"Your blood. That's why my senses are sharper?"

He was surprised that after three weeks her senses were still affected, but he nodded.

"And the x-rated dreams?"

"A side effect of the blood."

"How long until it goes away?"

She sounded more curious than angry. Godric decided that was useful for him. It was far easier to satisfy curiosity than to attempt to transmute fear. The time for fear would come later, when she learned more of his world. He'd determined he would keep her in his life the moment she'd ordered him to speak as she calmly ate cake.

"Your senses should return to normal soon. But the connection we now share will last until your death."

"What connection?"

"I can feel your emotions," he answered her honestly, "and I shall always be able to find you, should you find yourself in trouble."

She stared at him, her eyes flashing. Those eyes that were so expressive. They had looked blue on that night, but now appeared more green. Hazel, he believed was the correct term for that color.

"You can feel ALL my emotions?"

Her face flushed crimson, which he found strangely endearing. Embarrassment was the only emotion he felt from her now. He knew she was thinking of the dreams. While he couldn't share them, he knew from the high levels of lust and then satisfaction that they must be intriguing. He briefly wondered at her reaction if he was to offer to re-create some of them with her.

"All," he confirmed. "But as I said, they are a side effect of the blood. I have no expectations of you in that vein."

The words were meant to be reassuring, but she stiffened in her seat.

"Good to know, because I wasn't offering. Don't get ahead of yourself there, Vampire Man."

Mercy had had just about all she could take. The boy she was sure wasn't real showed up on her doorstep. He proved that vampires existed, informed her that not only could he feel her emotions but that he could always find her. She found out that the very vivid dreams she'd been depriving herself of sleep attempting to avoid were likely to be permanent, and she was supposed to be thankful that he had no expectations? What century was this guy living in? Did he not realize how insulting that was, in more than one way?

"I have offended you."

He sounded so surprised. Mercy had to resist the urge to slap him. Of course he'd offended her. She stood to leave his pale butt on the porch, but he caught her wrist before she could blink.

"I apologize. I meant no insult. Please sit."

She wanted to refuse, but for all the polite tone of voice, she was pretty sure it wasn't actually a request. And she had no doubt the man could snap her neck if he wanted. Grumbling to herself, she resumed her seat.

Godric fought the smirk off his face when the woman resumed her seat, grumbling to herself about "overbearing man-children". Letting her go for the night was probably the wisest course of action, but he couldn't' end the evening on such a tense note. She might refuse to see him again, and since he didn't yet have an invitation into her home he would have difficulty forcing the issue. He didn't even know her name.

"What's your name, human?"

He needed to know. He couldn't' simply call her "human", or "woman". Even he knew that would be insulting to her. And it would be much more pleasant to think of her by name; almost as pleasant as thinking of her as his.

"Mercedes. Mercedes Wright."

"Mercedes."

"Most people call me Mercy."

Mercedes suited her. It was a strong, feminine name.

"I am Godric."

"Godric."

He relished hearing his name roll off her tongue. It had been too long since he'd had a human companion, for which he blamed the current urge to lay claim to Mercedes and mark her as his for all to see. A long time had passed since he'd used a donor to do more than slake his thirst.

Mercedes yawned, making Godric aware of the time. It was nearing midnight, which was somewhat late for a human. She was tired.

"You are in need of rest."

She shook her head, even as she yawned again. He didn't understand why she was denying a simple truth. What purpose did it serve?

"I'm good for awhile."

She was yawning even as she spoke. She was stubborn, his human. He regretted not having an invitation: he would put her to bed himself if he could.

"Your body betrays you. Why would you avoid something you so obviously need?"

"It's not my body I'm worried about. Sex dreams about a kid who looks like jail bat are just disturbing, and I've had enough of them. I don't care if it's a result of your blood; it's just wrong."

He chuckled softly.

"Staying awake will only exhaust you, and you will still dream. If it is any consolation, I don't actually see what you dream."

"That's really not as helpful as you probably meant it to be."

He smiled.

"Get some sleep Mercedes. I will see you again soon."

He pushed the front door open and steered her to the doorway. Once he heard the deadbolt lock, and the alarm activate, he returned to the nest in a much better frame of mind to focus on this duties as sheriff. Mercedes would have to be introduced to his world slowly, and a plan was beginning to from. Isabel would be a good choice to introduce to Mercedes, at some point in the future.


	3. Now

**Brief A/N: I don't usually favor sticking translations and their meanings side by side, but since I have so many in more than one place in this chapter, that's what I'll be doing. Usually, if it's just a word or two, I'll stick them at the bottom. Also, Swedish is not a language that I speak, so any mistakes in the translations are entirely the result of Google Translate. Reviews feed my narcissism **

Mercy woke for the final time at 2:30. Godric was wrapped tightly around her, the only reason she was still in bed. She'd started her attempts to rise at 9:30, the latest she ever slept in on a Saturday. She had plans. But no—Godric was as clingy as an octopus, and he was literally dead to the world. In five hours of trying to free herself she'd only been able to wiggle six inches. She hadn't even been able to reach her cell phone; it was on the bedside table, but the blasted vampire had them entrenched firmly in the middle of the large bed. This was getting ridiculous. Plus, she really had to pee.

Her phone started ringing, yet again, but not even the digital sounds of Paint it Black could rouse the dead weight settled around her. It was Ethan. Kate must have given up on reaching her and called Ethan. Wonderful. If she didn't answer it, he'd come over. And that couldn't end well.

Mercy maneuvered until she was able to at least get one of his arms moved. It wasn't enough to get free, but she could at least angle her body far enough to reach the phone. The phone was silent, but she quickly pulled up the recent call list and selected Ethan's number.

"Where are you? Kate said she's been trying to reach you all day!"

"I-um- I woke up with a migraine this morning."

Great. Now she was lying to Ethan. And lying about a medical condition no less. She was going to hell for this. Still, she thought, better to lie about a headache than have Ethan come over while Godric was still here. Her half-brother hated vampires, and she didn't need one or both of them to end up dead.

"I've been sleeping most of the day, and just woke up. I never heard the phone ring."

It was amazing how quickly a person could switch from outrage to concern.

"Do you need anything? Do you need me to come over?"

"NO. I've already taken my meds, so there's nothing for you to do, unless you want to give Kate a call for me and let her know."

"I'll take care of it. Just get some rest, Mercy."

"I will. I'm already starting to feel better."

"Don't overdo it. Take it easy the rest of the day."

As she set the phone back on the table, she got an idea. Using both hands, she grabbed the edge of the table and used it to pull herself out of Godric's embrace. Muscles she didn't even know she had screamed in protest. Not to self: the rumors about sex with a vampire were true. The man-child had gone non-stop for hours last night, and Mercy was the one paying the price for it. Wincing as she finally made it out of the bed, she quickly grabbed some clean clothes and made her way to the bathroom. A hot shower was second on her to-do list, followed by the strongest pain killers or muscle relaxers she had in her medicine cabinet. She definitely needed something.

An hour later, after the hot water heater was empty, Mercy was finally starting to feel halfway human. And she could move without wanting to stake the vampire still sleeping in her bed. She glanced at the clock as she slipped into a pair of jeans and a comfortable t-shirt. It was almost 4:00. Eric would be here in only a few hours, and she'd gotten nothing accomplished.

Not knowing how much longer Godric would be out, Mercy grabbed her purse and her keys. She needed food, and she needed to pick up some TruBlood. She wasn't feeding him again. She was still somewhat pissed hat he'd helped himself to her blood in the middle of last night's activities. The bite marks might not be visible, but she'd almost prefer he'd taken from the neck. Feeding from the femoral artery was uncomfortably intimate.

TB-tb-TB-tb-Tb-tb

Godric woke to the knowledge that he was alone in the house. His human was not by his side, nor could he hear her heartbeat. He cursed the sun still high in the sky—he could not go find her.

This was unacceptable. She was vulnerable when she was away from him. It must have been some time since he'd given her his blood; he could not feel her emotions as strongly as he should. He would rectify that tonight, after he made certain she wouldn't leave him again. He would keep her with him at all times until he made certain there was no threat to them.

Did he dare brave the rest of the house? This bedroom was light tight, further indication that he shared this dwelling with his human, but he didn't know if that safety extended to the rest of the house. If he stepped out and the house wasn't completely dark—he knew it would take very little time to burn. He couldn't leave his human alone again.

For the moment, this room warranted further exploration. He slipped out of the bed, and padded over to a set of doors he'd ignored last night. He didn't recognize this furnishing. Pulling the doors open, he was startled when he was faced with a large black mirror. Why would anyone want a black mirror? The reflection couldn't possibly be beneficial. Sitting beside the mirror was a slim black rectangle. Godric picked it up gingerly, wondering at its purpose. There was a soft red circle in one corner, which sank down when he pressed it. Without warning the black mirror changed and was now filled with tiny people. Godric jumped back with a hiss, and hurled the black rectangle at it, breaking it. To his surprise, the trapped people disappeared. What kind of witchcraft was this that made it possible to keep people in a mirror? Why would his human have such a thing in their home? She couldn't be a witch. No, this must have been planted by whatever dark force brought him back. As soon as it was dark out, he would take this evil thing out of the house and bury it far from any humans.

The mirror destroyed, Godric turned his attention to the rest of the room. Shelves lined with books occupied a corner. A large piece of wooden furniture containing several drawers took half of a wall, and above it hung a large mirror. He noticed a set of doors that he'd ignored previously; now was the time to explore. Unsure of what he would find he carefully opened the doors and stepped into a generous sized room that was full of clothing, and on top of shelves sat extra bedding and towels. A closet.

He had no real interest in the other room adjoining this; the room where his human had bathed last night. Knowing he wouldn't be able to rest again, he perused the books, and was pleasantly surprised to find more than one written in Latin. He thought he also saw one in Greek. Yes, he did. Someone had taken the time to put The Iliad into a book. Grabbing it, he returned to the bed. It was the area of the room where the comforting scent of his human was the strongest.

It was then that he noticed what should have been immediately apparent when he woke; blood stained the sheet. He'd been inordinately careful when he pierced his human's artery, so this could not have come from feeding. His human had been a virgin until last night? How was it possible that he'd never made love to her before? She was intoxicating.

Wonder over how his human had managed to remain pure was quickly overrun by concern. He had not been easy with her last night. If she was indeed virgin, she was likely in great discomfort, possibly even great pain. She must come home so that he could see for himself that she was alright.

He felt along their bond for her emotions. He detected no pain or anger, which was a great relief. His concern grew when he instead felt turmoil. She was conflicted, and sad. He couldn't define the loss he felt from her, or the dread of returning to him. Had he hurt her so badly? He cursed again the fact that he didn't give her his blood last night. He would be able to decipher what he was reading from her.

He heard the roar of the human's strange vehicle. She was home. His superior hearing picked up her footsteps as she made the walk to the door, and the sound of the key turning in the lock. He heard her moving around the main house, but she did not immediately return to him. He decided to risk opening the door. He needed to see her, and get some answers.

Very carefully, he opened the door only an inch. When no light spilled through, he opened it further to learn that the hallway was completely dark. He could safely move at least that far, and he suspected he would be able to move freely through the house. Moving silently he found her in the room that must be for food preparation, removing things, some of which he recognized as human food, and placing them in cabinets and drawers.

"Why did you leave me?"

She spun around with a yell at his question, but he pushed on.

"I cannot keep you safe if you leave my side."

She must understand the danger in leaving herself so exposed while there was a threat. The day's rest brought no new answers as to his renewed existence, or his missing memory. What if he wasn't the target? What if he was simply a means to get to her? She had no certainty that she was the intended victim, and she went off alone. Did his human have no sense of self preservation?

"Dang it, stop sneaking up on me!" Mercy yelled as she rounded on the vampire. She was going to put a cowbell around his neck. What was he even doing awake? It wasn't sunset yet, let alone dark. He wore an angry look, and she groaned to realize that was all he wore. He'd completely ignored the clothes she'd laid out for him.

If she'd hoped he would remember English when he opened his eyes, she was disappointed. She didn't understand a word that he said, but he sounded pissed. She gathered he wasn't too happy to find her gone when he woke up.

"Seriously kid, I can't talk to you until you put on some clothes. Come on already."

He followed her back to the bedroom, still ranting about something. He stood in the doorway as she tossed him a pair of jeans and shirt she'd laid on the armchair. He looked at her, dropping them on the floor and pointing at the bed.

"I don't know what you're thinking, kid, but that's not happening. Now put some darn clothes on!"

She picked them up and shoved them back into his arms. He dropped them on the floor again and crossed his arms. Stubborn vampire! Fine, two could play that game. Mercy turned her back on him, grabbing a book from the shelf and settling into the chair. Godric said something, but she ignored him, not taking her gaze form her book. Using his preternatural speed, the book was pulled from her hands in a split second and he attempted to force her chin up so that she looked him in the eye. She pulled free of his grip. His tone was frustrated when he spoke, but in seconds he was dressed and again standing in front of her, glaring his displeasure.

"See? That wasn't so hard now, was it?" she asked sweetly. It was when she looked up behind him that she saw—

"What the heck did you do to the TV?"

In her distraction she missed the fact that Godric moved at all until his now bleeding wrist was pressed against her mouth. She tried to pull it away, but her human strength was no match for his will. She couldn't clamp her mouth shut; that would only end with her teeth in his flesh. He held her skull, gently but firmly, preventing her from turning her head away. Her mouth was filling with blood, but he wouldn't move his wrist. On reflex she swallowed, mentally cursing him. Having his blood would only make everything harder.

TB-rb-TB-tb-TB

As Eric flew through the night air, his thoughts were centered squarely on that damned human pet of Godric's. What could she possibly need him to see? Godric's parting letter to him committed him to looking out for the woman's welfare (he would never ignore his maker's final request) but there was no love lost between them. On her part, she claimed that pigs would fly before she ever contacted him for help. He was honestly surprised that she'd even kept his number. For his part, he blamed her for Godric's death.

He'd known that his maker had been dissatisfied, even melancholy, for many years. But it was only in the last decade that he'd felt those things through the bond to such a degree that he'd worried for Godric's sanity. And then to find out that Godric no longer believed that vampires belonged on this Earth? To hear from his maker's own lips the same vitriol spilled by hate-filled humans? To leave him to face the sun alone, commanded by him to do so, only to find out that he'd concealed a human companion for ten years?

Who else but this human could have been responsible for poisoning the thoughts of one such as Godric? It certainly wouldn't have been any of his nest mates. The Fellowship of the Sun couldn't be blamed, not when they had him only because he was already filled with those thoughts. No, it could only be the human woman he'd spent so much time with.

He'd been prepared to give the human the benefit of the doubt when they first met. For Godric to have thought so highly of her, surely there must be something remarkable about her? And think highly of her Godric did: he left her a house, a portion of his nearly incalculable wealth, and the promised protection of his children (Eric always wondered if Nora was even aware that she'd been so committed).

But more even than what he said in his will, Godric had believed enough in this human to make a personal request to his first child. He believed that they could console each other after his passing. From Godric's letter, Eric had come to believe that Mercedes Wright was a most rare individual: a human his might be able to respect and possibly even like. Then she had to open her mouth and blame him for the fact that Godric chose the sun.

As if he hadn't done all that he could to persuade his maker to stay. Had he not threatened to forcefully keep his son alive? Had he not pleaded with his beloved father, weeping tears of blood at his feet? And, all that having failed, had he not tried to die alongside his brother, stopped only by a command he was powerless to oppose? The human knew nothing. And she dared to blame him, when she hadn't even been there? She was fortunate he was bound by Godric's final wishes to protect her, or he would have snapped her neck that very night.

Mercedes' strange phone call had puzzled him since it ended, until he went to bed for the day. He'd warned her not to call for anything less than life-threatening, and she'd said that nothing less than imminent death would compel her to even consider calling him for help. Yet whatever was wrong could wait until the next night. What could the human consider important enough to risk his wrath for being disturbed?

He would stop in and see Isabel once he was done with Mercy. She called him regularly to keep him updated on the girl. He would stay at the Carmilla; it was too uncomfortable to stay in a Dallas nest where Godric was not Sheriff.

In a short time, he arrived at Godric's home. It felt almost blasphemous that a human was living there, even if she was Godric's pet. Bracing himself for what he was sure would be a massive waste of this time he landed on the front step, then froze. He knew that voice. But how in the—he grabbed the doorknob and pulled, ripping the door off its hinges, fangs bared.

"Eric!"

The human sounded pissed, matching the look of fury he could only barely make out, but he ignored her in favor or the vampire standing protectively in front of her.

"Godric."

By the gods, how was it possible? He tried to take a step towards his maker but was blocked by an invisible barrier. Damn it. Legally the house still belonged to Mercedes.

"Invite me in, human."

She tried to step around Godric, but he pushed her behind him. Eric knew his maker well. He would not let his human expose herself to any implied threat. And for some reason he seemed to think Eric was a threat.

"Oh, for heaven's sake you caveman, he's a friend! Eric, please come in! Just—be careful!"

As soon as he had permission, he stepped inside the house. The moment he crossed the threshold, he found himself on the floor, his maker pinning him down, fangs almost in his neck.

"Godric, det Eric." (Godric, its Eric)

The smaller vampire froze above him. That voice, so familiar- he'd heard it through his human's contraption the night before. And that face….

A battlefield. He always followed battles. Not only did he love to watch the human's fighting, a battle meant lots of dead and dying; an easy meal. He didn't know who was fighting, nor did he care, but his attention was taken by a giant of a man. He towered over the other humans, enemy and friend alike. It was beautiful to watch. He'd never seen anyone fight like this human.

"Du känner inte mig?" (You don't know me?)

The giant spoke the language of the north men. More importantly, the giant had not raised even a hand in self defense. He now looked concerned, and was looking to his human. Godric backed up, allowing this Eric to sit up.

" Jag känner ditt ansikte" (I know your face)

"Will you kindly explain what the HELL is going on here?"

Eric directed the question to Mercy, who looked a mixture of stunned and disappointed.

"I thought surely he'd remember you."

He tried to stand, but Godric growled at her.

"Jag menar inget illa till mänskliga. Jag svurit att hålla utkik efter hennes" (I mean no harm to your human. I am sworn to look out for her)

" Känner du henne? Vad heter hon?" (You know her? What is her name?)

Eric blinked. Godric didn't know his human's name? He looked to Mercy for an explanation, but Godric forced him to turn back ot him.

" Hennes namn?" (Her name?"

" Hennes namn är Mercedes." (Her name is Mercedes)

TB-tb-TB-tb

"He just showed up last night," Mercy began as she handed Eric a warmed TruBlood before taking a seat on the couch. Eric wisely chose the armchair, putting him a respectable distance from Mercy, especially with Godric sitting between them. Eric drank his bottle to be polite, trying not to grimace at the taste, as he tried to work out what was different about the human. Godric was carefully keeping physical contact with her, which she didn't seem comfortable with, but—

"He's had you."

He knew virgin blood when he smelled it. She'd been a virgin the one time they met, and he was certain she wasn't seeing anyone regularly. Isabel's sources were very reliable. Besides, while she might have showered sometime today, Godric hadn't, and her scent was all over him.

"That is so none of your business, and beside the point."

Mercy had hoped, really hoped, that Godric would remember his child. How could he not know someone he'd spent a thousand years with? But no, he was eyeing Eric with a large dose of mistrust. He'd calmed down only slightly after his conversation (if it could be called that) with the blonde vampire. And thankfully he finally started drinking his TruBlood once he saw Eric doing the same. Hopefully he wouldn't try to bite her again before she could get him out of the house.

"Right. So he just showed up? How is such a thing even possible?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. Probably better. But he showed up on my doorstep, completely naked and not speaking English. And I don't think he knows me."

That explanation had so many holes in it, it couldn't possibly be trust. But no, Eric had to admit that Mercy wasn't trying to lie to him. He'd never heard of anything that could resurrect a dead vampire. He'd put the question to the witches; he knew a crone who owed him a favor. Maybe they'd heard of something that powerful.

What bothered Eric the most was the fact that Godric had come here, to his human, rather than his own child. He didn't even remember the damned woman. Why should he go to her instead of Eric?

"Du säger att du är mitt barn." (You say you are my child.)

It was the first unsolicited question Godric asked him, and Eric turned his attnetion to his maker.

" Jag är." (I am)

It hur that Godric didn't seem to recognize him, but he kept that hurt masked. It seemed to work well enough on Godric, but Mercy's look of sympathy suggested she was more perceptive than he gave her credit for.

" Hur länge har jag varit borta?" (How long have I been gone?)

" åtta månader." (Eight months)

As soon as the conversation switched to Swedish, Mercy tuned them out. She'd once watched Godric and Isabel argue in Spanish for five solid minutes. She couldn't guess how long this pair might go on. She was only drawn in by the squeeze of Godric's hand on her leg, and he directed a question at her.

"What?"

She looked ot Eric for explanation. Lucky vampire; he got ot play interpreter. Godric repeated himself, looking to Eric.

"He wants to know if what I say is true."

Godric spoke again.

"If I am his child. That he has been gone eight months. He says he knows you will not lie to him."

Both vampires were watching her, waiting for an answer. She nodded in affirmation. Godric asked anothe question, and Eric shook his head, answering in Swedish so that Mercy couldn't understand them, while Godric gestured to her.

"What was that?"

"He asked why I don't live with you Then he asked why the two of you don't live with me in my Area."

"I hope you told him we never lived together."

"I did, but he didn't belive me."

And now the both of them were smirking at her. At least she knew where Eric got it from.

"Eric. You have to take him back with you."

The smirk died immediately, and Godric was now looking between the two of them, concerned.

"Are you out of your mind?"

Godric would never agree to leaving her for Louisiana, not when she was the one he'd come to. And Eric just knew she wasn't talking about going with them. He didn't want to think of the damamge Godric might do when he suggested it.

"Eric, he's not safe here. I can't keep him hidden all the time."

"Mercy, he's a 2000 year old vampire. He doesn't need you to protect him."

"A 2000 year old vampire with no idea what century he's living in! Isabel comes around frequently, Eric. You remember Isabel, right? The newest Sheriff of Area 9, who reports directly to the King of Texas, a vampire who was afraid of Godric long before he died? What the heck do you think Vincent would do to Godric if he found out he somehow came back from the dead? He's a target here, Eric."

"No one would dare attack Godric," Eric objected. "He would tear them apart."

"I would agree with you if he had his memories, but he doesn't even know you. And he has a far better chance of recovering those memories with the person who's known him a thousand years than with the person who's known him ten. You have to get him out of here before he gets hurt."

He hadted to admit hte human had a valid point. Godric seemed to be missing a millennium at least. While still physically strong, that knowledge was gone: if Vincent or someone else was to challenge him, it was possible he mikght lose. But Eric doubted any of that would matter to the vampire demanding to be told what was wrong.

"What makes you think that Shreveport would be safer?"

"Apart from the simple fact that you'll be with him? He's not well-known in Louisiana. You can spin any story you want. You could say he needed a break and took off, but now he's back. I mean, there have to be other vampires who disappeared for awhile then popped back up, right? In Louisiana, only you and Miss Stackhouse would know for sure what happened, and I'm certain she'll keep her mouth shut."

"Sookie's been missing for months," Eric answered absently as he considered Mercy's argument. Godric could be much better protected if he came to Shreveport. Eric would tear apart with his bare hands anyone who dared try to attack his maker. And he certainly knew much more about Godric than she did It would be much easier to spread a believable story in Shreveport than Dallas.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but it works out better for this particular problem."

Godric watched the two talking back and fort. He heard his name; they seemed to be arguing over him. But what could they want, and why was Eric telling him nothing?

" Sluta, Eric!" (Stop, Eric!)

Eric stopped arguing with the human and turned to his maker.

" Berätta," (Tell me) he ordered. Eric took a deep, unnecessary breath.

" Vi tycker att du ska följa med mig hem." (We think you should come home with me)

" Mercedes har gått med på att lämna här?" (Mercedes has agreed to leave here?)

If they both agreed to the move, why were they arguing? Eric was not telling the full truth, and Mercedes was watching him warily, waiting for something.

" Mercedes stannar här." (Mercedes will stay here.)

" Nej!" (No!)

His reaction was instant and explosive. He would not leave her! Child or not, this giant couldn't force him to leave her! He shot up from the couch, almost knocking it and Mercedes over, his fangs bared at Eric.

" Jag kommer inte att lämna om hon kommer också!" (I will not leave unless she comes as well!)

" Det är inte hennes önskan att komma." (It is not her wish to come.)

Godric froze. She wished for him to leave, but she didn't wish to go with them? His Mercedes thought to send him away? He spun around to face her again.

" Varför skulle du vilja lämna mig?" (Why would you wish to leave me?"

Mercy saw the moment understanding dawned on Godric's face. She held tightly to the couch, even as it threatened to topple over. Even if she spoke Swedish she would have no hope understanding their hurried yelling, but she recognized the hurt look on Godric's face when he turned back around to face her. She almost didn't need Eric to translate the question he shot at her.

"It's too dangerous for you to stay here," she answered once Eric confirmed the question. Godric's response began before Eric completely finished translating.

"He says that you won't be safe alone. If you wish him to go, you must come with us."

That was out of the question. She couldn't simply pack up and leave her life behind. She had Ethan and Ava to think about. She had a career, and obligations.

"I can't leave this place."

If she just disappeared with no explanation, Isabel would start looking for her. That was how seriously she took her promise to keep an eye out for Godric's human friend. There was no excuse the vampiress would believe to explain a sudden move, either. If the Sheriff started poking around, all of this could end up for nothing.

"He wants to know if he really hurt you so badly you want to send him away."

Eric's question cut through her thoughts. Mercy decided to just ignore the blonde's half smirk at the verbal confirmation that they had indeed had sex. There were bigger issues at hand.

"That has nothing to do with this. It's just not safe for you to stay here, Godric. And I can't come with you."

Eric relayed her words, and she could see the smaller vampire getting stubborn. He grabbed her by the shoulders and stared at her, unblinking. She mentally cursed those blue-grey eyes that could stare so deeply through her. He spoke softly, which only made his words all the more threatening.

"He says he's not leaving you here."

She kind of gathered that. Mercy bit her lip, hard, as tears threatened. Darn, stubborn vampire! She didn't want to hurt the kid. Was he really going to make her do this?

"You have to," she whispered before raising her voice to a normal level. "I rescind your invitation, Godric. And Eric."

"Mercy, don't do this to him," Eric almost begged, even as both vampires unwillingly began to back out of the living room. Godric protested, yelling something Eric didn't translate. Mercy followed them to the open doorway. Godric threw himself against it, blocked by the barrier now in place, and howled in rage.

He didn't understand. She'd evicted him from her home—their home—when he could feel that she didn't want to do so. He raged against the house as she stayed beyond his reach, putting cracks in the plaster. He would take down the walls, destroy the house so that she had to come out. She couldn't do this to him! He could feel her anguish—why did she insist on doing this when it only hurt them both?

"Varför?! Mercedes, varför?!" (Why?! Mercedes, why?!)

He heard her choke back a sob as she fled from him, into the recesses of the house he could no longer enter.


	4. Still now

"Mercy, we're here," Ethan called as he let himself into the house, noticing that the door wasn't hanging as it should. One of the hinges was practically hanging out of the frame.

"What the hell happened here?"

"Daddy, you have to put a dollar in the swear jar!"

Ethan set the giggling five year old down as he took a closer look at the door. The frame looked slightly bent. It looked like someone had tried to force their way in. And did he see cracks in the plaster outside?

"Mercy?!"

"I'm in the kitchen!"

He was relieved to hear her, and to hear he sound perfectly fine. He followed her call to see her standing in the kitchen, up to her elbows in cookie dough.

"Hey guys! How was Sea World?"

Ava started gushing excitedly about the weekend trip, eyeing the bowl of cookie dough. Mercy moved the bowl before little fingers found their way in.

"Not until after they're done baking, Ava."

"What happened to the door?"

Darn. She'd kind of hoped he would miss that. But no, Ethan wasn't stupid, even if he did sometimes act like a blockhead. Not wanting to add more lies, Mercy decided to be as truthful as she could, just as she had when she called Isabel's people to fix the door that night.

"A passing vampire came through a couple nights ago, looking for Godric. He got a little upset at learning this is no longer Godric's home."

It had been believable enough for Isabel, along with a description of a fictional vampire who only vaguely resembled Eric (minus the height and propensity for speaking Swedish). She calmly accepted the explanation with a promise to fix the door and conduct a search for the vampire. Ethan, however, was not so calm.

"A vampire! You let a vampire into this house?!"

"No, I kept a vampire out of this house, hence the door. Calm down, Ethan."

"Calm down? Calm down! How the—"

Mercy cut him off with a raise of her hand.

"Ava, could you take your stuff back to your room, please?"

The girl looked between the arguing adults and was quick to make her exit. Ethan waited until he heard her door close before he started again, a little more quietly.

"How the hell can you tell me to calm down!? A vampire tried to take down your door and you didn't even call me! What if Ava had been here?!"

"You were four hours away, Ethan! What exactly do you think you could have done? And if Ava had been here she would have been perfectly safe. He couldn't get in."

"Yeah, he couldn't get in until he glamoured you or whatever they call it and you invited him in and bared your neck!"

Mercy reminded herself to count to ten as she took a deep breath. Ethan was worried for his daughter, and she could appreciate that. But if he implied that she was gullible or stupid just once more he would find himself wearing the freakin' cookie dough. He seemed to forget that he was the junior sibling by a full decade when he was on one of his "vampires are evil incarnate" rants, and that she was under no obligation to follow his orders. She wasn't one of his army buddies.

"Ethan, I've been dealing with vampires for ten years now. If they could glamour me into doing what they wanted, I'd have been dead long before now. It'd be nice if you could give me just a little bit of credit."

"You're too trusting, Mercy. You let that one vampire sniff around you for years. It was disgusting."

Her grip on the bowl she was stirring tightened noticeably, until her knuckles were white and bloodless.

"Be very careful with your next words, Ethan. Don't forget how much Godric did for both of us when you came to live with me."

The younger man visibly bristled, but fortunately didn't say anything further. Instead he gave his attention to the smell of baking coming from the oven, and checked the cookies inside. They were golden brown, and the chocolate chips were melted—perfect. He grabbed the pot holders and pulled the trays out of the oven and placed the next cookie sheets inside. Mercy took them without comment and started removing the cookies from the sheets, laying them on the cooling racks.

"When do you have to be back on base?" She asked a few minutes later.

"I need to leave in just a few minutes. I have to be back tonight."

"Here, take some cookies back with you."

She quickly packed up a dozen and found a container to stick them in.

"Make sure you say goodbye to Ava before you leave."

It was probably for the best that he was leaving, before one of them said something they couldn't take back. Mercy didn't want a fight. She was surprised when he enveloped her in a hug.

"I just worry about you being all alone. Now that Godric's gone you're kind of up for grabs."

She shook her heard. Ethan had never wanted to learn about vampire politics, so he knew nothing. He had no idea how well regarded Godric had been. Or how loyal his lieutenants still were to his memory.

"Ethan, when it comes to vampires I'm the most protected person in Dallas."

"You're too sweet, and you have no idea what it's really like out there."

She swatted him in the back of the head.

"I'm a full decade older than you, Ethan. I'm not some sixteen year old girl with her head in the clouds, so stop with that overprotective older brother vibe you've got going. Now say goodbye to your daughter and get out of here so you're not late getting back to base."

-And before either of them made comments about questionable judgment. She had no idea what made Ethan hate vampires so much, but he didn't have to like them. He just had to not insult them around her. But if he wanted an argument on responsible life choices he would get one. She wasn't the one who produced offspring at the age of sixteen.

He was gone a few minutes later, and Mercy turned her attention to the last of the cookies still in the oven. She heard the TV in Ava's room, and the sound of The Muppet Show if she wasn't mistaken. Ava must have popped a DVD in. Mercy sometimes wondered at the wisdom of a TV in a child's room, but it had come with the house, and so far she hadn't been able to bring herself to remove anything that had belonged to the previous owner.

With Ava engrossed in her DVD, Mercy was free to think. She was supposed to be using this three day weekend to catch up on grading assignments and confirming lesson plans, but that was shot. She hadn't been able to focus on anything yesterday, a result of the renewed dreams of Godric, now made more vivid from personal experience and another dose of his blood. How was the kid doing? Had Eric managed to get him to Shreveport?

"Focus Mercy," she ordered herself, "There's nothing you can do about Godric now, and you have a five year old and a career that need your attention. He's Eric's responsibility now."

The mental shake was needed, as she could smell the cookies threatening to burn. She would be darned if she let the vampire make her burn her cookies! Her cookies were not to be toyed with. She was taking them to school tomorrow. She might send a dozen to Ava's class.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"How are you feeling there, Mercy?"

"Much better, Kate. I'm sorry I missed Saturday, but I seriously never heard my phone ring. I was pretty dead to the world."

"You had me worried there. I mean, Paul said you were fine at the game Friday, but Saturday I heard nothing. I was about ready to come pounding on your door."

"And instead you called Ethan, and had the boy ready to drive four hours from San Antonio."

Classes just ended for the day, but Ava had gymnastics for another hour, and Mercy saw no point in going home only to come back to pick her up. It was a chance to catch up on the work she missed over the weekend. She'd been expecting Kate to show up.

"Hey, you weren't answering your phone! And you said he was in on leave. How was I supposed to know he'd taken the squirt to Sea World?"

"Um-by asking? Here, have a cookie."

She pulled out the tin she'd brought with her and offered one to Kate. The other woman stared at the offered baked goods, then at Mercy.

"You baked?"

"I was in a baking mood yesterday."

Kate took a cookie and leveled a stare at her friend.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she took a bite.

"Nothing's wrong," Mercy answered quickly. Her oldest friend was far too perceptive, and felt herself at liberty to meddle in her friends' affairs at will.

"I know you, Mercedes Abigail Wright. You don't bake unless something's bothering you, or its Christmas. Now what's wrong, because you have the same look on your face you had when you came back from England eight months ago."

"_Miss Wright, you have to see this!"_

_Mercy gave a half-hearted glance to Sarah and her laptop. She was exhausted from running around the UK with a dozen students and only two other chaperones. Not to mention she still wasn't completely adjusted to the time change from Dallas to London. Next time the school wanted to do a summer study abroad trip, they could find another teacher. Once was enough; if she came back she was coming on a real vacation, with no children except for Ava, and that was only if Ethan came along. No way was she dealing with Ava's mother._

"_I was checking the news on-line for back home, and look. Someone bombed a vampire nest last night."_

"_What?!"_

"_Shh! You want to wake up Amy and Nicole?"_

_The walls weren't terribly thick, and Mercy froze for a split-second until she decided she didn't care if her shriek had woken the girls who'd gone to bed as soon as they got back to the hotel. A vampire nest was bombed?_

"_Which nest? Did it say?"_

_Sarah gave her a curious look but slid the laptop over to her. Mercy immediately replayed the video clip. Please, dear God, don't let it be the Sheriff's nest. Why would anyone want to bomb—a suicide bomber? Why could people not realize what they were doing? How could anyone encourage some young man to go into a house and blow himself up? Rumor was that the Fellowship of the Sun was behind it. Damn that Steve Newlin. Why did they not show the house that was bombed?_

_Finally the report and her cameraman did manage to show footage of the devastation, and Mercy came the closest she'd ever come to fainting in her life. That was Godric's house. She'd only been there a handful of times, but she recognized the neighborhood._

_She grabbed her cell phone and pulled up Godric's name. The phone rang and rang, until it finally went to voice mail. No. He just couldn't be dead. He couldn't. Rather than leave a message she hung up and redialed. Still no answer. Maybe his phone wasn't working? It might have been damaged in the blast. Beyond worried, Mercy scrolled back through the contact list and pulled up Isabel's number. Again, no answer._

_Not liking the sinking feeling taking tight hold in her chest, Mercy shoved the laptop back to Sarah and grabbed the first pair of jeans and t-shirt she could find._

"_Sarah, I need you to do me a favor. I need you to wake up Ms. Morgan and tell her I need to see her now."_

_The girl's eyes widened, but she slid out of bed and grabbed her robe before stepping out the door. Mercy picked up the room phone and dialed the front desk as she slipped on her bra and shirt._

"_Yes, I need you to connect me with Heathrow airport. Anubis Airlines."_

_By the time Sarah returned with the other chaperone, Mercy had all of her things packed into her suitcase._

"_Mercy, what's going on?"_

"_Family emergency, Paige. I have to get home immediately. My flight leaves in two hours."_

_The flight was interminable, especially as she could get neither Godric nor Isabel to answer the phone. Why was he shutting her out? She couldn't feel anything form him. Something was so very wrong. The moment she landed she ordered the car to take her to the Hotel Carmilla. Godric would have sent his people there with the nest destroyed._

"_Can I help you, Miss?"  
_

_The vampire concierge looked at her disinterestedly as he offered his assistance._

"_Yes. You can tell me what room Godric is staying in."_

_He looked less than impressed by the human woman making demands, and his fangs dropped threateningly. Mercy blankly took note of the number of security guards in the lobby, and the fact that one was eyeing her warily._

"_I'm afraid I can't divulge any guest information, Miss. I'd advise you to be on your way."_

_Normally Mercy wouldn't be so rude to someone who was only doing their job, but she was in no mood to be polite. She'd just spent countless hours travelling; all without speaking to anyone she was trying to reach. If this man didn't tell her what she needed to know, she would reach across the desk and strangle him with his own necktie._

"_And I advise you to tell me what room belongs to the Sheriff before he finds out that you're trying to turn his wife out of the hotel."_

_The concierge paled even further, a feat Mercy hadn't believed him capable of. She might not have been happy with how often Godric took her blood and gave her his over the years, but right now it was to her advantage. By vampire standards, she was most definitely his human wife, a fact she was willing to exploit..._

"_Impossible!"_

"_His lieutenant, Isabel, will be happy to verify my identity if you wish."_

_She stared at the concierge, unflinching, until he picked up the phone and punched in an extension._

"_Yes, so sorry to disturb you, madam. But I have a human down here claiming to be Godric's wife."_

_He glared at Mercy as he said it. Mercy simply pulled out her passport and handed it to him._

"_The name is Mercedes Wright, madam."_

_His face fell, and he immediately became more deferential as he passed the document back to her._

"_I will bring her up myself, madam."_

_He placed the phone back in the receiver and ordered the human staff to watch the front before stepping out from behind the desk and gesturing to Mercy._

"_If you will come with me, Madame."_

_She remained silent the entire elevator ride and walk to the room. After a brisk knock the door was opened._

"_Please inform the Sheriff that Madame Gaulman is here."_

_Mercy was let into the suite and she immediately looked for Godric. Where was the kid?_

"_This way, Madam Gaulman."_

_She followed the vampire who'd addressed her into the bedroom, and found Isabel standing with two other vampires, in some soft discussion._

"_Sheriff, she's here."_

_Her escort was calling Isabel "Sheriff". The woman in question spun around._

"_Mercy."_

"_I saw the news. I came as soon as I could. Where is he?"_

"_Leave us," Isabel ordered the others, and they immediately filed out of the room, until Mercy was alone with the vampiress. _

"_Isabel?"_

_She knew. As soon as she saw the open grief on Isabel's face, she knew. But she hoped to heaven she was wrong. There had to be some mistake._

"_I'm so sorry, Mercy."_

"_No!" she wailed as she was pulled into the other woman's arms._

"I'm fine, Kate. Really. I just felt like doing something after spending all day Saturday in bed."

"Why do I have trouble believing that?"

"Maybe because you're paranoid, Kate."

"It's not paranoia if I'm right. I don't want to see you end up that like that again."

Mercy put the tin away, and reached for another stack of tests. She knew better than to argue with the other woman; words wouldn't prove anything. She would simply have to make sure that her actions didn't give anything away.

"I promise, Kate. I'm fine. Just tired, and woefully behind on grading these papers. Now why don't you let me get caught up today, and we'll plan on you and Paul coming over to the house this weekend? We'll uncover the pool table and play a few rounds."

"I'll hold you to that."

TB-TB-TB-TB-TB

Eric paid no heed whatsoever to the humans trying to gain his attention. Godric was seated at a table, two books open before him. Eric didn't know where his maker had managed to acquire them, this Swedish history and its English translation, but he'd spent his nights since coming to Shreveport buried in them. He was determined to learn English, as quickly as possible.

Two nights had not returned Godric's memory, which concerned Eric. He had a call in to the crone who owed him a debt, but it might be weeks before he heard from her. He would do his best to aid his maker, but he must still see to the running of Fangtasia and the business of Area 5. He'd tried the first night to have Pam occupy Godric, but his maker showed little inclination for her…more exuberant…company. Afraid to leave him on his own, Eric finally brought him to the bar. Godric hadn't objected, but his books came with him. Eric wouldn't be surprised if his maker managed to master English within a week. He knew Godric wanted to contact his human himself. He worried that Godric would try to go back to Dallas. If he admitted it to himself, he was more than a little jealous. Godric was fixated on this human, a woman he didn't even remember.

At least this Godric didn't appear to be suicidal. He was much more the vampire, the Maker, that Eric remembered. Whatever had caused such a change in Godric was no longer present in his mind. One change at least that was for the better. Even as he watched, the donor he'd chosen walked up to Godric, and he eagerly fed from her. Good. He wouldn't have to worry about Godric starving himself.

When the girl took a seat at the table, Eric smirked to see the blissed out expression on her face. Godric had laid the glamour on thick, it seemed. He knew that expression well; it was always a draw as to whether lust or fear made the blood taste better, and over the centuries they'd had contests to see which of them could invoke the emotions the strongest. He was surprised, however, when the human spoke and Godric actually answered her in hesitant but correct English. He was learning even faster than Eric expected. He would have to get Godric a cell phone so he could speak with his human; hopefully delaying any attempt to return to Texas for awhile. Godric had shown a fascination with modern technology, a cell phone might keep him occupied for a time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Godric looked up to see Eric watching him. The Viking watched him constantly. His child—and he was certain of that even without his memory—seemed to fear that he would disappear again. What had he done that would give his progeny cause to believe this?

He turned his attention back to the young woman he'd just fed from. He smirked to see that the girl still had a look of satisfied bliss. He couldn't help feeling that this was familiar territory for himself and Eric, especially when he saw Eric's expression and felt his amusement through their re-established bond.

"Are you staying in Shreveport for awhile?"

The girl was a good chance to practice the English he'd spent the last nights absorbing.

"I am now residing in Shreveport," he answered carefully; relatively certain he understood her correctly. While he was absorbing much, the phrasing he heard was confusing. It felt good to use the English words; to learn another tongue. And they felt familiar.

"Maybe I'll see you around then. Do you come here often?"

Perhaps he'd done too well in glamouring the girl. He had no interest in bedding the human.

"This is the first time I have visited this place," he answered politely, and saw the girl's eyes widen in surprise, "but no doubt I will be here frequently."

"That's great! I'm here all the time!" The girl enthused, and Godric began to wonder if he wouldn't have to glamour the human into forgetting him. Before he could act, Eric was standing at the table, chasing the human off. The vampire took the girl's place.

"Du arbetar på din engelska, ser jag. Är du roar dig?" (You're working on your English, I see. Are you enjoying yourself?)

"Din verksamhet verkar vara ganska lönsamt. Är det alltid så upptagen?" (Your business appears to be quite profitable. Is it always so busy?)

"Ja. Det finns alltid människor ivriga att komma nära en vampyr." (Yes. There are always humans eager to get close to a vampire.)

Godric smirked.

" Ja. Jag ser dem ser dig på din tron ." (Yes. I see them watching you on your throne.)

" Om du vill lämna, kan vi. Vi kan gå tillbaka till huset för natten." (If you wish to leave, we can. We can go back to the house for the night.)

" Jag vill inte gå tillbaka till huset." (I do not wish to return to the house.)

He wished to return to his own house, and his Mercedes. He wished to demand answers of her; to know why she had so little faith in him that she would send him away. She truly doubted that he could protect her, and himself?

He wondered again what he had been before his death. Eric had offered scant detail, afraid that too much information might hinder his own memory returning. He'd learned that Eric was a thousand years old, and the he'd never met Eric's progeny in person, as she was just over a century. He was missing a thousand years worth of memories; and apart from those that included his child the ones he wanted most were those that included Mercedes. How was he to recover them if he did not see her, and hold her in his arms?"

"It was too dangerous to remain in Dallas. Mercy was right about that."

"I must see her, Eric."

She was vulnerable without him to protect her, however much she might think otherwise. As soon as he could speak clearly with her, he would let her know in no uncertain terms how unacceptable this was. He would no allow her to endanger herself this way.

They were interrupted by Pam's approach.

"You've got a couple of new arrivals who want to present themselves," she informed Eric, nodding respectfully to Godric.

Eric looked over to the front door to see two of the most unlikely looking vampires standing nervously at the entrance. He waved them over, and shook his had as they almost stumbled over each other in their haste to reach him. Gods, they were only babies. Neither of them were more than two years dead, and it looked as thought neither of them reached twenty-five. They even looked to be related.

"Speak," he commanded in a bored tone.

"Sheriff?" The male spoke, looking nervously from Eric to Godric.

"I am. What is your purpose here?"

"We want to settle in the area, Sheriff," the girl answered timidly. Eric spared her a second glance. She was blonde, and looked vaguely like Sookie. If she kept her mouth shut, and wore the right clothes….

"Eric," Godric kicked him not-so-subtly under the table. Eric forced himself away from that train of thought. He didn't want a substitute for the fairy, he wanted the real thing.

"And why are you with your makers? You're far too young to have been released."

All he needed at the moment was a pair of baby vamps who'd run away from their makers. It wasn't the sort of thing that happened often, but when it did, it got messy.

"Our maker is dead, sir."

That got his attention. He could see that it had Godric's as well.

"How?"

The girl, who introduced herself as Heather, stammered out the events leading up to their arrival in Shreveport. Eric's fury grew as the two related their tale. Brother and sister they were as humans, their maker had known them since they were children, and when they were in a car wreck that would have proven fatal, he'd turned them. The vampire's older progeny, enraged to learn he was no longer his maker's only child, had attempted to kill them, and ended up killing their maker instead. An offense punishable by the true death.

"Where did this happen?"

If a vampire of his area killed their maker, he would rip out their fangs before handing them over to the Magister.

"New Orleans, Sheriff."

Outside his area then. Good. Still, he would have to let the Sheriff know so they could begin the hunt for this murderous progeny.

"What was your maker's name, boy?"

"Thomas Wincott, Sheriff."

Eric was beginning to despise the boy standing before him. He could barely speak for himself, leaving the explanations to his sister. He would be surprised if the boy survived a full century.

"You may settle here."

He saw potential in the girl. She rather reminded him of Pamela in her attitude. It could be quite interesting to watch her mature, and to have a hand in that. He couldn't turn such promise away, especially with a threat hanging over. He had the wicked thought of turning them loose in Bon Temps, and making Compton deal with them on a regular basis. And Compton's own progeny, Jessica—now that would be entertaining.

He glanced over at Godric. This case was quite possibly hitting close to home for his maker, who'd destroyed his own maker after years of abuse. Remembering how feral Godric had been after so long on his own, Eric decided he'd better keep these two close by. And perhaps these babies would give Godric something else to focus on, and to keep his attention on Shreveport for the time being.

"I happen to have a house you can use until you find a place of your own. I expect you to return tomorrow night. You will need to know what is expected of you."

Godric just shook his head as the two thanked his child profusely. He could tell what Eric was thinking, and it wouldn't work. He might help these orphans as he was able, but nothing would deter him from returning to his Mercedes.


	5. 10 Years Earlier II

Mercy closed her eyes tightly as the knocking on the door increased. It did nothing to make the pounding go away. She was fated to have a migraine today, no matter how she tried to will it gone. Why did it have to be today, of all days?

"I'll be right there!" she called, then winced at the pain. She really needed to call this blasted date off. She hated that this friend of Paul's came all the way over here, but there was no way she was up for going out tonight. Kate could yell at her tomorrow at lunch, if she was able to go in to school.

The knocking continued, even after she acknowledged them. This guy was on his way to becoming one of Mercy's least favorite people. Holding onto a wall, Mercy carefully made her way to the door and opened it. Standing on the other side was a guy who looked like he spent entirely too much time in front of a mirror.

"Paul said you were a looker, but damn! He definitely wasn't lying. You ready to go?"

He smiled showing too much of teeth that were too white. Seriously, they were practically blinding.

"I'm sorry, umm—"she couldn't even remember the guy's name. And she was killing Paul for telling him where she lived. Kate wouldn't get her wedding in two weeks.

"Allan. That's okay; we've got all night to get to know each other."

"Allan. I'm really sorry t o have to do this to you, but I'm gonna have to cancel. I've got a killer migraine, and I'm just not up to going out tonight."

He smiled, as if she'd just told a joke.

"That's okay. I've got just the cure for that. I know this little place that sells some of the best rum you'll find in Dallas. You'll forget all about that pesky little headache."

"It's not a headache, it's a migraine. And I'm not adding alcohol on top of that. We'll have to try again another day."

He reached for her hand, catching it before she could pull it away. He tugged, hard, and she braced herself to pull back.

"I can help you take care of that headache, Sweetheart."

"Let go of me, and get out of here."

"Just come on out, and I'll take care of you."

"She said to let her go."

What was Godric doing here? He'd come by last night, and he never came more than once a week. Whatever the reason, she wasn't going to question it. As long as he didn't kill the man—she wouldn't be able to explain that to Paul and Kate.

"This is none of your concern, kid."

"Don't kill him, Godric," Mercy said at the same time.

Within a second, Allan's hand was gone from her arm, and Mercy sagged against the wall. Godric stared the slightly taller man in the eye, a low warning growl coming from his throat.

"You will not remember that you came here this night. You will return to your home. You will never bother this woman again."

Mercy watched, amazed, as Allan's eyes glazed over and a blank look settled on his face, as he repeated back Godric's words before turning on his heel and leaving. The vampire watched him for only a few seconds before turning his full attention to her.

"I could feel your pain," he offered as an explanation for his presence.

He could see that something was very wrong with Mercedes, as she held onto the wall for support. He'd felt her agony not long after he rose for the evening, and came immediately. The urge to rip apart the human male trying to remove her from her home was strong. But he knew the male wasn't the cause of this feeling; she projected pain, not fear.

"What pains you Mercedes?"

"Migraine."

A one word answer, which worried him. As he and the fascinating human grew to know each other, she'd revealed herself to be quite vocal. He'd heard the term before, but didn't know precisely what it was. From the way she closed her eyes and held her head, he could guess that it was a head condition.

"Allow me to assist you."

"I'll be alright, now that jerk is gone. I just need my medication."

Her assurance was nullified by the fact that when she took a step away from the wall she stumbled forward, falling into Godric's arms. She was far from well if she couldn't even walk, and Godric wasn't willing to allow the risk; he scooped her up in his arms, ignoring her protest.

"Invite me in, Mercedes. Allow me to aid you when you have need of it."

"Come in," she muttered weakly, and he stepped across the threshold. Months he'd spent trying to gain access to this house; he was rather disappointed she only allowed it when she was ill.

"Where is your bedroom, älskling?"

"I knew you were only trying to get me into bed," she joked quietly, then groaned from the laughter, "Down the hall, third door on the left."

He carried her to the designated door and carefully pushed it open. He was surprised by the decoration of the room—it was not what he'd pictured her room to look like in his mind. Ignoring the lights for the moment, he laid her down on the bed.

"How can i help you, Mercedes?"

"My medicine—it's in the bathroom. No—" her hand shot out, "it's in the kitchen. A syringe and needle in a bag with a vial of medication. Should be in the drawer by the fridge."

"I'll be back in a moment, älskling."

He found the medication easily, but his curiosity got the better of him and he quickly scanned the drug information sheet, and froze. This medication that was supposed to help his human feel better came with warnings of far too many potential side effects. It appeared that the relief was far more dangerous than the illness. No way was he allowing her to take something that carried so many possible risks. He would heal her himself.

His decision made, he hurried back to her room, bag in hand, to see Mercedes attempting to change her clothes. He immediately set the bag on the dresser and moved to her side, removing her shirt easily before instantly grabbing the over sized sleep shirt and pulling it over her head.

"I can change myself," she protested.

"I can do it much more quickly."

She scowled at him as she slid her arms through the sleeves and she her jeans. Godric pulled back the blanket and sheets, and nudged Mercedes into the bed, then switched off the light so she couldn't see his next move.

"I need-:"

"I'll get it, älskling. I can see perfectly in the dark. Rest now."

Confident that she couldn't see him, he picked up the syringe and plunged it into his arm, filling it with his blood. His blood would heal her quickly, and as she'd already had it, there would be no new side effects. Once full, he sat on the bed beside the woman who had her head sandwiched between two pillows.

"Where should I inject this?"

She held out her arm without moving any other part of her body, and Godric quickly injected it before she could changed her mind an d look. He had no doubt that she would be less than pleased once she discovered what he'd done.

"Rest now, child," he ordered as he laid a cool hand on top of hers. He was surprised when she grabbed it, stopping him as he attempted to rise.

"Don't go," he heard her whisper. She wanted him to stay? She slid the top pillow off her head and pulled his captive hand down to her forehead, sighing in relief at the touch. That was certainly unexpected.

"Stay until I fall asleep? The cold is soothing."

He could not deny the ill woman's request. As carefully as he could (without removing the hand she held prisoner) he arranged himself on the bed and pulled her to him, laying her head on his bare chest.

"Sleep now, älskling".

"You would take that as an invitation to take your shirt off," he heard her mutter as she drifted off. He silently agreed with her. After spending regular time with Mercedes for the last several months, he wanted to possess her. Her reactions were never what he expected, and he wanted to know what made her tick. It was frustrating; despite his veiled overtures, she kept him at a careful arm's length. He didn't understand why she denied them both; he knew she wanted him. And he couldn't glamour her compliance either (even if he wanted such a hollow victory).

Her informality and complete lack of deference was refreshing, except for those rare occasions when she treated him exactly as the adolescent he appeared to be. Then it was annoying. She was a puzzle, his Mercedes, one he'd expected to solve within the first weeks. Now he wondered if he would ever truly know her.

He wasn't terribly surprised when she woke only a few hours later. His blood had surely done its work in that time. He was disappointed when she pulled away from him. He'd reveled in the warmth of the human body pressed against him.

"You stayed?" she asked, disbelieving.

"I stayed," he agreed, urging her to lay back down. She complied, until she froze halfway down. Godric followed her intense stare to the clock on the bedside table.

"You son of a motherless goat!" she yelled as she smaked him on the chest, before sitting up and completely scooting away.

"There's no way my drugs could have worked taht fast! You gave me your blood again, didn't you?"

"I did."

He would not apologize for it.

"That human medicine was dangerous. My blood healed you much more quickly, and safely."

"Not the point, A-hole! You had no right to do that! I only just stopped having those darn dreams!"

Another reason it was time to give her more of his blood. The connection between them would strengthen. He didn't want her to stop dreaming of him, wanting him. He fully intended to get past whatever barrier she'd erected in her mind that allowed her to resist the pull he knew she felt.

"I could not bear to see you in such pain, Mercedes."

It was no platitude, no trick, just the simple truth. Mercedes was his, regardless of whether she understood that yet, and he would not see her in pain.. Not when he could do somethign about it. He would not let her human stubborness prolong her agony.

Tugging insistently, he pulled her back down so that she was again using his chest for a pilllow. He could see and feel the anger leaving her, as well as the desire for it to remain. She wanted to be mad at him, even as she nestled into the comfort he offered. Such a contradiction, his human.

"You're lucky you're a comfortable pillow and I'm exhausted, Vampire Man, or I'd take back your invitation."

"Sleep, Mercedes."

"Remind me I'ms still ticked at you when I'm more awake."

He smiled at that, unnoticed by the human in the dark; a real smile of wamr amusement. He dropped a kiss on her hed.

"When you're more awake, älskling, you really must explain why you have a pan shaped like a penis sitting on your kitchen counter."

TB-TB-TB-TB

"What the heck are you doing here? I told you not to come by tonight!"

Godric simply smirked as he walked through the door into the house, thanks to Mercedes' forgetting her threat to rescind her invitation. She'd warned him to stay away tonight, and he had originally intended to do so. But his curiosity about this "bachelorette party" ritual, and Mercedes' absolute refusal to talk about it, had practically guaranteed that he wouldn't be able to resist. When Isabel could provide no more insight, Godric had chosen to come over as soon as his business for the evening was concluded. He'd felt Mercedes' mortification the entire time he filled out paperwork and heard requests, which really only doubled his eagerness to see this party for himself. Unfortunately, he arrived too late.

"I wished to see this cake you baked. But it appears I am too late."

Only portions of what had been an impossibly large phallus remained.

"And I told you I'd show you a picture the next time you came over. Now seriously, you need to go!"

He wondered why she was trying to hurry him out of the house. He detected no other heartbeats, so there was no one left to discover him. Then he noticed something else lying on the counter.

"And what is this?"

Mercedes reached for the paper, but Godric was far quicker, and snatched up the catalog before she could. Her face grew impossibly red as he flipped through it, his eyes widening. He wasn't a monk by any stretch of the imagination, yet even he had never heard of a number of these implements. Had Mercedes actually purchased one of these? Was that why she was so embarrassed? The ones that were circled in red—

"And which of these did you purchase, Mercedes?"

She had no need for any of them. He was more than willing to pleasure her. Although the voyeur in him would delight in watching her use one of these items to pleasure herself—. His musings were interrupted when she ripped the catalog out of his hands and threw it in her recycle bin.

"I didn't purchase any of those, you perv! The ones circled in red were the ones the bride wanted, and we bought them for her!"

"Your bachelorett party was a party so that you could buy sex toys for the bride?"

That sounded like something his oldest child might do.

"If your friend is getting married, what need would she have for a—" he knew this word, he'd heard Stan use it on occasion—"a dildo? Is her husband-to-be-not an adequate lover?"

Mercy covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a laugh, and some of the blush began to recede.

"Okay, sweetie, don't ever say the word 'dildo' again."

"Did I not use it correctly?"

"You used it correctly. That word should just never come out of your mouth. I don't know why she ordered that, but really, there are just some things you should never ask your friends to buy you. I just got her the shaving cream she wanted."

Standing so close to her, he inhaled sharply. For some reason, her scent was even stronger than usual. He wanted to carry her to her bedroom and rut her into the mattress. The urge to claim her was growing, and he truthfully did not know how much longer his control would hold. He surprised even himself when his fangs dropped.

Mercy had no idea why the vampire was acting so strange, but she quickly stepped back. Did vampires get sick? Godric wasn't acting like himself. He immediately grabbed her arms and stopped her.

"Don't move, Mercedes."

If she tried to run, he would lose what little control he had. The last thing he wanted to do was assualt her, and he knew she wouldn't welcom his advance, but it wouldn't matter. If she ran, instinct would take over. He would run her down and take her.

She was frightened of him now; he could see it in her eyes. Fighting to get back his famous control, he closed his eyes and stopped breathing. When he finally felt calm enough to release her, he opened his eyes again.

"Forgive me, Mercedes. For some reason your scent is much stronger than usual, and I did not feed tonight. My control is not what it should be."

Her eyes widened as he released her arms.

"Oh, Godric, I'm so sorry!"

"It is not your fault, Mercedes."

"It kind of is. The lady dabbed us all with this perfume that's supposed to boost pheromones, or something like that, to attract the opposite sex. I'll see if I can wash it off."

He grabbed her again.

"Do not," he almost growled in her ear. He didn't release her until she nodded her agreement. He didn't want her to try to wash away her scent. He wanted to savor it; to revel in it.

"So, did you come for some other purpose, or did you just want to crash the wildly inappropriate party?"

"I had never heard of such a party, älskling. Surely you cannot blame me for wanting to know more?"

"No, I guess I can't—you've serioulsy never heard of a bachelorette party?"

That was too funny. He knew what a dildo was, but never herad of a bachelorett party. Didn't all teenage boys know about bachelorette parties?

"No women of my acquaintance would have such a party, Mercedes. Therefore I have no reason to know such a thing, until now."

"Vampires don't get married?"

'Marriages between vcampires are a political move, normally to consolidate territory or power, usually lasting a specified number of years. Vampire marriages to humans are little more than an exceptionally strong claim marked by a blood bond."

Well, that was—sad. Vampires didn't—well okay, stepping foot inside a church might prove problematic given a traditionally antagonistic relationship between vampires and religion, but it wasn't like they'd burst into flame or anything. And okay, courthouses would be closed by the time it got dark. But still—

"Alright then. For future reference, a bachelorette party is thrown for a woman getting married by her female friends. It often involves alcohol, or strippers, and occasionally sex toy shopping. Anything else you want to know?"

He wasn't ready to leave just yet. Partly because he didn't want to be out of her company, and partly because he was in no mood to go back to the nest and deal with more political infighting. There were many nights he thought he'd be happier if he gave up the position of Sheriff. At least he'd ahd the good sense to refuse becoming King of Texas. He searched for another topic they could discuss, so that he didn't have ot leave just yet.

"Why is your home not decorated? I've seen Christmas trees in the majority of homes I've passed this month."

It was rather surprising that her home was void of any decorations. Godric might not understand why some people went to the extremes he'd seen, but Mercedes didn't even have a single stocking. The house was bare of anything connected with Christmas.

"Oh. I just didn't feel like decorating this year."

He knew she was lying.

"Why would you not wish to decorate?"

He could feel that this had something to do with the occasional feelings of incredible sadness he woudl read from her. They always left him feeling helpless to make it better for her. He wanted to know what caused the despair and make certain she would never feel it again.

"Truthfully? Christmas was my parents' favorite holdiay, and this is the first one without them. I just didn't want the reminders."

"Without them? Are you unable to get home for the holiday?"

If it was a matter of funding, he was more than willing to provide it. Humans put great store in spending such times with loved ones. He would make it happen if that was what she needed.

"You really don't know?"

She was watching him carefully. What did he not know? She was speaking in riddles now, and he felt lost.

"My parents died. I lost them the night you almost killed me, actually."

Had she really never told him that? She could've sworn she mentioned it during one of his visits. Maybe not. He looked completely surprised at the announcement.

"So anyway," she continued, not wanting to see the pity she expected on his face, " I just couldn't bring myself to do antying Christmas this year. By next year I'll be ableto make myself do the whole 'Christmas' thing, but this year I just have to put up with Kate's well meaning intrusions."

"You do not wish to follow your parents' traditions?" he asked carefully, and Mercy had the sneaking suspicion that wasn't the question he realy wanted to ask.

"It's not that," she tried to explain, "It's just—too raw this year. I mean, did you want to celebrate the holidays after you lost your human family?"

"I wanted no part of anything human after I was turned," he answered honestly," I wanted nothing to do with the Romans who'd enslaved me."

"The Romans? But—that would—how old are you?"

She knew he wasn't the boy he looked to be. She thought he was perhaps a few hundred years, from the way he spoke, but—enslaved by the Romans?

"I am over two thousand years old. My precise age I do not know."

"Two thousand years—did you know Jesus?"

He smiled at her reaction. Most who knew his age grew extremely uncomfortable, and acted differently around him. The few humans who knew, namely his nest mates human companions, could not look him in the eye. Again Mercedes surprised him.

"I would have liked to have known him. They said he was a remarkable man. Unfortunately our paths never crossed."

"That's a shame."

She was getting him off topic, and he had yet to decide whether it was deliberate. He recognized her tendency to deflect conversations from herself. While discussions were made more interesting as they covered almost everything but their own lives, it frustrated him that he didn't know as much about her as he wanted. He hadn't even known her parents were dead.

"What do you intend to do, if you do not wish to observe Christmas this year?"

"Kate is forcing me to join her family for the day. She doesn't understand that i just want to kind of hide in a cave for the day and crawl out when it's New Years."

"Come to my home for the day."

The offer was made without thought, but as he considered it he realized how much he wanted her to accept. It would be the chance he was seeking to introduce Isabel. She'd grown most curious about the human he seemed to have difficulty staying away from. And Godric still wished Mercedes to know Isabel, and his world.

"Oh, I couldn't put you out like that."

"It is no trouble, Mercedes."

"But don't you need to sleep during the day? I can't ask you to stay awake to entertain me."

It was a tempting offer, but she couldn't do it. She woudln't put the kid through the inconvenience (however much he protestedd it was inconvenient). And if she blew Kate off, her friend would want to know why. She could hardly present Godric, who looked seventeen at the most. She wouldn't be able to explain their relationship, and Kate would jump to the wrong conclusions. That particular rumor would be doubly damaging.

"If I don't show up, kate will just hunt me down."

Godric was beginning to hate this Kate person. What business of her was it what Mercedes did with the time she chose to spend with others? Why should this Kate be allowed to track his human down like an errant child? He didn't realize he was growling unitl Merceds laid a hand on his arm.

"Clalm down Godric. She's just worreid about me; she doesn't mean any harm."

"Then tell her to leave you be and come to my home instead."

"Why don't you meet me here at sunset, Christmas night, and I'll come to your home once it's dark?" she offered as a compromise. She had the sneaky suspicion he wouldn't leave if she didn't offer something. And she didn't really want him to hate Kate. They might meet someday, and it would be nice if he didn't try to kill her if that happened. Although she had to wonder at his apparent possessiveness—it could get realy old, really quick.

TB-TB-TB-TB-TB

Getting out of Kate's parents' home was an exercise in subterfuge and evasion, and flat-out lying. No, actually, the lying started the moment Mercy entered the house, when she had to use all hte patience she had not to figuratively bite the heads off of everyone who wished her aMerry Christmas and plagued her with questions about how she ws holding up. Not that she didn't appreciate everyone's generosity, as she was laden down with gifts, but they were all either walking on egg shells around her or treating her like a lost puppy who needed a home. Honestly, watching Godric sleep while curling up with a good book would probably have been a preferable way to spend the day.

It took twenty minutes of arguing with the double team of Kate and Paul to get her things loaded into her car and finally able to drive away. It also took twenty minutes of reassuring Kate's parents that she wasn't about to go home and slit her wrists with a straight razor after downing a bottle of Jack Daniels. As it was, she only barely made it back to the house before sunset. She only beat Godric by two minutes, and barely got her bags in the house before he knocked on the door.

"Are you ready for your first visit to a vampire nest?"

"Um, how are we getting there?"

She had no idea whether he actually owned a car, as he only ever showed up at her house on foot.

"You wish to lock up, do you not?"

"Huh? Oh!"

Mercy hurriedly locked the door and set the alarm. One couldn't be too careful, even on Christmas day.

"You still havent' answered my question."

"Well, if you insist, you can drive. Or—"

'Or?"

Without warning he pulled her into his arms, and with a whoosh they were airborned. Mercy stifled a scream.

"Or we can fly. We'll be there in no time."

She looked down to see that they were several feet off the ground, and quickly looked back up. If she fell from this height, she'd be in serious trouble. Godric was wearing what she'd come to think of as his trademark smirk.

"You don't really think I'd drop you, do you Mercedes?"

"No."

She realized, as they simply hovered in the air, that this was a gift of sorts, as well as a token of trust. He was trusting her enough to reveal another of his strengths, but also gifting her with a chance few, if any, humans ever had: to fly freely, with the wind literally blowing through her hair. It really was remarkable.

"What are you waiting for?"

"You'd better hold on, älskling."

In no time at all, they were coming to a landing ni front of a surprisingly modern house. Mercy wasn't sure exactly what she'd expected of a vampire nest, but definitely something more historical. This house didn't even look ten years old. Godric kept a hand on the small of her back as he escorted her inside.

The first surprise inside the house was that she wasn't the only human present. She didn't know hwy she'd expected it; if Godric could have human friends, why couldn't other vampires? But for some reason, she was surprised to see other humans.

"You must be Mercedes."

She was approached by a stunning Spanish woman. Godric stayed relaxed, so Mercy did her best not to tense up. New people—new vampires especially—tended to make her uneasy.

"Mercedes, this is Isable, a trusted Lieutenant."

"Lieutenant?"

"It is a pleasure to meet you at last. Godric speaks highly of you."

"Isabel," Godric warned, but if anything he sounded more embarrassed than angry. Isabel surprised Mercy by extender her hand. Bemused, Mercy took it, shaking hands with her first vampire.

"It is a pleasure to meet you too, Isabel."

"Forgive me, Godric, but Vincent is on the phone for you. He said it was incredibly urgent."

Godric sighed, audibly, and released his hold on Mercy.

"Forgive me, but I must take this call. Isabel, show Mercedes around the house, if you will."

"Of course, godric."

Mercy found herself uncomfortably alone in a room full of strangers. The few humans were watching her curiously, and she saw more than one vampire sniff in her direction.

"I hope it's nothing too serious," Mercy commented with a nod in the direction Godric disappeared. Isabel barely glanced that way before focusing again on Godric's human. She could understand his reluctance to bring her around. Her virgin blood smelled delicious. It was fortunate that he'd sent Stan on an errand, so that Mercedes might remain unmolested.

"Vincent can be very—demanding. But Godric knows what he's doing; not to worry."

She carefully guided the human woman into motion, walking through the open living room.

"I'm guessing Vincent is someone important?"

"Vincent is the vampire King of Texas. Now, this house has only recently been remodeled, to make it more accomodating for both vampires and humans.'

"Wait a second Isabel. If Vincent is a king, what does that make Godric. Just—just how important is he?"

"I can see that we have a lot to talk about, Mercedes."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX

It was nearly an hour later that Godric was finally able to get Vincent off the phone, and go in search of Mercedes. Vincent was an annoyance at best, and a dangerous pawn at worst. Vincent on the throne almost made him wish he'd accepted the Authority's offer to become King.

They weren't in the living room. He searched the kitchen, evne the restroom, all the common areas the humans used. They were nowhere to be found. Isabel wouldn't have taken her far, so he directed his search outside. The grounds weren't extensive; they must be nearby.

He found them sitting in the loung chairs by the pool. The grin on Isabel's face as he approached warned him that he was in some sort of trouble. That feeling was compounded by the devious look on Mercedes' face.

"Was your call productive?" Isabel asked as he joined Mercedes on the lounge chair.

"It was as can be expected with Vincent."

He didn't want to discuss Vincent, or politics, when he finally had Mercedes in his home.

"You should have told me that I should have been calling you 'Sherrif' all this time."

Oh hell. Perhaps leaving Isabel alone with Mercedes for so long wasn't the wisest decision. What else had she told the human? There was much that he did not wish her to know yet. Not until she was ready to accept it.

"That will be all, Isabel."

"Of course Godric. I shall see you again, Mercy."

The vampiress rose gracefully from her seat.

"I hope so, Isabel."


	6. Now III

"Miss Wright, this is Preston Harper. I know you said you weren't interested in selling, but I have a client who would very much like to meet with you and make an offer. Call me back as soon as possible; my number is—"

Mercy deleted the message before the number was rattled off. She was half tempted to call Kate and give her a piece of her mind, and then call the police and get a restraining order slapped on the annoying realtor.

She blamed Kate and Ethan entire for the fact that Preston Harper continued to call. She'd been a complete wreck eight months ago, and in their haste to be helpful they'd contacted the realtor to sell the house, sure that she wouldn't want the reminders associated with it. She'd put that idea to rest the moment she found out about it, but it was too late: Harper continually listed her house on his website.

"Aunt Mercy, why does that man keep trying to sell your house?"

"I don't know, Ava. But don't worry; we're not moving."

He would give up eventually. Or she would shoot him. Whichever came first. She wouldn't feel too bad if she shot him.

"Can we have pizza for dinner?"

"I don't think so. It's time for real food, with vegetables."

The face Ava made was the same face she'd seen on Ethan as a kid. Vegetables seemed to be the universal enemy of children everywhere. The five year old grumbled as she carted her book bag to her bedroom. Mercy busied herself in the kitchen. There was chicken in the freezer, along with bags of vegetables, and she pulled out corn and peas. It was a rare day that they got home before six p.m., and she was using the time to cook a healthy meal.

"Get started on your homework, Ava!"

It was kind of ridiculous, that a kindergartner had homework. Granted, it was easy stuff, and Ava would have no problem with it, but that a five year old had homework at all—well, Kari Reynolds might be the best kindergarten teacher in the school, but Mercy thought she needed to tone it down a little. Ava started learning to read when she came to live with her aunt.

By the time dinner was ready, the child had finished most of her work, and Mercy called her to the table. She would finish the rest after eating, and Mercy could help her with the more complicated stuff, while she got to work on her own grading. She had to get the mid-term exams graded and handed back by tomorrow. Fortunately, she only had two more classes to finish grading.

By the time Mercy finished, it was time to put Ava through a bath and into bed. The bedtime ritual she could normally accomplish in half an hour; tonight it took forty-five minutes. Mercy wasn't sure what got into the kid, but she finally had to pick her up and bodily put her in bed before starting a bedtime story. Fortunately it didn't take long at all for her to drop off once Mercy started reading. She thanked God for small mercies as she turned out the light and closed the door, leaving the night light to chase away any monsters under the bed.

Almost ready to simply fall into bed and sleep herself, Mercy forced herself to grab her night clothes and head for the shower. Her progress was halted by her cell phone ringing, the number not one she could readily identify. It couldn't be the realtor, as it wasn't a Dallas area code. That much she was sure of, and she cautiously hit the button to accept the call.

"Hello?"

"Mercedes?"

She almost dropped the phone. She hadn't heard that voice in over a week, and she hadn't expected to hear it any time soon.

"Godric?"

"Yes. I—Eric gave me a cell phone so that I might speak with you."

"He did?"

_Nice one. Of course he did, where else would Godric have gotten a phone?_

"He did."

"So—does that mean you've remembered anything?"

She wanted to believe that his memory had returned. He wouldn't have to hide out with Eric. He would be free to come and go as he pleased, and not be dependent on his child. He'd always valued his independence.

"Unfortunately, I have not," he interrupted her thoughts.

"But your English—"

"I learned it."

Mercy cursed the fact that she couldn't see his face as he spoke. It was always difficult to pick up cues just from his tone of voice.

"You learned English in a week?"

She knew she sounded disbelieving, which he must have picked up on as he chuckled lightly.

"Yes, a week. What have you been doing since we left?"

Oh, Good Lord. It was going to be like those first meetings all over again. The past decade was a complete blank slate to Godric. He still remembered nothing of their history. She was starting from square one. Again. Holding back a sigh, she grabbed a pitcher of tea from the fridge and poured herself a glass before settling into the chair. This could be a long night.

TB-TB-TB-TB

"I called and called you last night. Where were you?"

The moment the bell rang signaling the end of classes for the day, Mercy was interrupted by Kate. She'd half-expected it, after ignoring all of her calls in favor of a four hour conversation with Godric. She was still unhappy about Preston Harper's calls.

"I was busy, Kate."

"Too busy to answer your phone? What could you possibly have been doing?"

"I was having an all night group orgy with a few hookers I picked up on the way home," Mercy said deadpan. She loved Kate, she really did; they'd been best friends since first grade. But her business was her business only. Kate stared at her in horror for a moment before she burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry. It really is none of my business. I'm just worried—you haven't been yourself this past week."

"So you've been saying. So of course you had to tell Carol you were afraid I might slit my wrists or something."

"What? I never said that!"

"Then tell me why she hauled me into her office during lunch to quote unquote check up on me?"

Kate at least had the decency to look embarrassed.

"I might have mentioned you were acting out of sorts. She's worried about you too, Mercy."

"Oh my gosh. You people seriously need to get a new hobby other than gossiping about me, because I don't know how much more I can take of your help."

She slammed her pen on her desk with more force than necessary, suddenly very tired of everyone's well-meaning interference.

"Hey! There's no call to get snappy, Mercy. We just want to make sure you're alright."

That did it.

"No call? No call!"

Mercy shot up from her seat and started shoving her things in her purse. She was not going to sit around and listen to this any longer.

"You know, I was actually having a pretty good day today, until I was dragged into the school psychologist's office and questioned endlessly about my absolute depression and any thoughts of self-harm! Thank you very much for that, Kate! And on top of that, I got home last night to find another message from that damned realtor still trying to sell the house I freakin' live in! Because you and Ethan decided you knew the best course of action for me!"

Her friend stepped back, stunned into silence for once. Mercy tried to rein in her temper. It took quite a lot to set her off, ordinarily, but when it happened….

"Kate, you are my friend and I love you, but right now you all just need to leave me the hell alone! And you can tell Carol the same thing!"

She stormed out of her room, almost running down one of her colleagues, who flattened herself against the wall.

"Mercy, you have the faculty meeting in ten minutes."

"Tell Dunning I have a headache!" she called as she reached the exit and slammed the doors open.

She collected Ava from the after-school classroom, the glare on her face daring the other teacher to say something. They were fortunately allowed to leave unmolested, which meant that no one else came close to having their heads ripped off.

"Are you alright, Aunt Mercy?"

"I'm fine Squirt. What do you say we go do something fun this afternoon? How about we hit the park and then go see a move?"

"Can we get pizza?"

The child's one track mind mad her laugh and she easily agreed. It was a rare day when she was caught up on all of the grading she had to get done, and since stalking out of the building, she had the rest of the day to herself. She was NOT going to spend it mulling over the opinions of her coworkers.

She wasn't terribly surprised when her phone rang again that night. She had to ignore it until she put Ava to bed, but as soon as she was done she called back. She didn't want him to fly his butt from Shreveport, which she knew he might very well do. Apparently one hundred eighty miles wasn't far enough to mute the bond. She couldn't feel him, but from the number of missed calls he could definitely feel her.

"I'm alright, I promise."

"You didn't answer your phone."

"I was-in the middle of something, and could not stop. But I'm fine, I swear."

"What happened?"

"It's nothing Godric. Just a human issue. One of my coworkers managed to really tick me off. Now why don't you tell me about Shreveport, and what you do with Eric?"

Anything to keep him from pursuing the topic of her day. The less she mentioned Kate, the better it would be for everyone. Godric had never had a high opinion of her best friend, and there was no need to drag that animosity back up. Besides, she was curious about what he did in Shreveport. She knew next to nothing about Eric Northman, apart from the fact that he was Godric's oldest child and a Sheriff in Louisiana.

Twenty minutes into the conversation, Mercy was interrupted by a knock on the door. Who could be at her door at this hour?

"You didn't decide to come over, did you?"

"I did not. Are you safe?"

She stepped out into the living room and looked out the window, careful to make sure that her pistol was handy. She almost swore when she saw who was on the other side.

"Godric, hang on a minute."

"Are you safe?"

"Yeah, I'm safe. Just hold on a minute."

She set the phone down on the end table and stepped up to the door.

"Paul, I'm not any more interested in seeing you tonight than I am Kate. Go home and tell your wife I'll see her tomorrow."

"She's worried about you, Mercy," he called from the other side of the door.

"I get that, but I'm still not talking to either of you tonight. Go home Paul."

"Mercy—"

And now she was on the verge of wanting to shoot the messenger.

"Paul. Ava is asleep. I fully plan on joining that state relatively soon. If you come through that door, I'm changing the locks. Go. Home."

She waited until she heard his car pull out of the driveway before returning to her phone call.

"Now where were we?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"He's on the phone again, Sheriff," Heather informed Eric, who was only half paying attention as his other eye was on the dancer. She was just grateful he hadn't asked her to do THAT. She was happy to play gofer if it kept her off the poles and in her clothes. So far her week at Fangtasia hadn't been anything like she'd expected it to be.

"How long has he been on the phone?"

"Nearly two hours, Sheriff."

"And last night?"

"Four hours, Sheriff."

"Very well. That will be all, Heather. If Pam has nothing for you you're free to go for the night."

The girl nodded respectfully and left. Eric liked her; she was eager to learn, and eager to please. He surprised himself as the week went on by realizing that he didn't want to jeopardize having her at his disposal by sleeping with her. And she got on well with Godric; another mark in her favor. She'd kept his maker entertained and occupied, happy to help him practice his English until Eric got him a cell phone. He'd expected Heather to be useful, and he'd been correct. Her brother, on the other hand, might not be long for immortality if he didn't change his behavior.

"You have a visitor, Eric."

He hadn't heard Pam approach between watching the dancer and contemplating the newest additions to his area. He wondered that she bothered to leave her post at the door for that when she could have simply called to him in Swedish, with no one else understanding them. Curious, he looked over to see a rather elderly looking woman standing inside the door, looking distastefully at her surroundings. Eric shot from his throne at inhuman speed, and was at the door in the blink of an eye.

"Magda."

He nodded respectfully. She was the oldest witch he knew of, head of the largest coven in the southern U.S. She was not someone he wanted to piss off. If anyone could do anything about Godric, it was she.

"Why have you summoned me, Northman?"

"I find myself in need of your help, Magda. I would consider your success in this matter full repayment of your debt."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I've already repaid that debt, boy. You have your maker back, do you not?"

Eric blinked. That was certainly—unexpected. The crone herself was behind Godric's reappearance?

"You brought Godric back?"

"The coven did, under my orders. Our debt is cancelled, Northman."

When she turned to leave, his hand shot out and he grabbed her arm.

"Then I would very much appreciate your fixing whatever they messed up."

"What do you mean, what they messed up?"

"Come with me."

He pushed through the floor, the crowd instantly giving way for him. The old woman followed him, and only when they were out of the press of people did he speak again.

"Godric may be returned, but not all his memory came with him."

"Explain."

The look on her face suggested she didn't believe him. He had to remind himself that trying to rip her head off would be a bad thing.

"He has no memory of the last thousand years. He has no memory of making me."

Hell, he didn't even know if Godric was only missing a thousand years. It could even be longer.

"And you're sure it's not just you that he's forgotten? That's not the same thing as missing a full millennium."

"I'm sure."

He opened the office door and allowed her to step inside. Godric was still on the phone, and Eric could pick Mercy's voice out of the noise. He was relieved the human woman was talking to his maker. He'd been half afraid she intended to try to cut Godric out of her life completely when she kicked them out of the house. He had to admit that he was most curious about their history. He'd never heard of a human who managed to stay virgin and be companion to a vampire for ten years. Especially not one with an appetite such as Godric's.

His maker's eyes widened and his fangs dropped, when he saw the woman who entered with him. Eric heard him hastily end his conversation before turning his attention to the new arrivals, eyeing Magda with clear distrust.

"You bring a witch here, Eric?"

"She's here to help, Godric. Her coven brought you back."

If that statement was supposed to be reassuring, it backfired splendidly. Godric hissed at the elderly woman. Not just a witch then, but a necromancer as well? And Eric dared bring her here? In the space of a heartbeat, he had the old woman pinned against the wall.

"Tell me why I should not rip out your heart this moment."

"Godric, no! She's here to help!"

Eric laid a restraining hand on Godric's arm. If this escalated…..

"Hold your threats, Fanger. I mean you no harm."

With a warning growl, Godric released her. She didn't so much as rub her neck as she stood down, glaring at the eternally young vampire.

"Now tell me about this memory loss," she commanded as she made herself comfortable on Eric's couch. She was silent for several minutes after Eric finished his explanation, with Godric filling in gaps in the story. Patience had never been Eric's strong suit, and he was finding it difficult to employ now.

"I'm unaware of why there should be gaps in his memory, "she said at last. "That is not an effect of the spell we used. I shall have to look into this."

"What can we do to restore his memory?"

"I would hesitate trying anything until I can investigate this, Northman. Meddling in this could very well cause more damage, or possibly kill him."

"But his memories can be restored?"

Magda pushed herself to her feet.

"Truthfully, vampire, I am not aware of a spell that would restore a millennium's worth of memories. I shall have to see what I can find. I can show myself out"

"I'll escort you."

Eric shot up from his desk. He would personally see the crone safely to her car and off his property. It would be bad for business if she ended up destroying a vampire who made a move for her.

Godric was left alone again in the office, contemplating what the old witch said. The spell itself had only brought him back; it did not cause his memory loss. While he was pleased to learn that there had been on intent in his resurrection apart from repaying the crone's debt to his child, he could not help but worry at this missing memory. Perhaps one of the witches who cast the spell wished to cause him problems? Or could it be simply that one of the casters lacked the necessary experience or ability and did not perform the spell correctly?

Still, the why of his memory loss was not so important. It was whether he might regain those memories that concerned him. If he did not have them he could not return to Mercedes. She was so certain that he was in danger if stayed in Texas without his memories; and she was strangely unwilling to leave that place. What could possibly keep her apart from him?

"Magda will let me know as soon as she has any news," Eric informed him as he returned, effectively interrupting his thoughts.

"I've arranged a donor for you. AO negative."

"I'm not hungry, Eric. Thank you."

His child's smile died on his lips. What was so distressing about a lack of appetite? It was certainly not the first time in his existence that he was not hungry. He had gone days without feeding after he set out on his own. Hunger was little more than a minor concern to him.

"You need to feed Godric. Please. You had nothing last night. I won't watch you starve!"

The vehemence in Eric's tone was surprising. His child seemed to believe that he would willingly starve himself.

"Alright, Eric. I'll feed."

That his child even thought such a thing lead him to some rather disturbing thoughts. Why would Eric fear him starving himself unless he'd been given reason? Had he starved himself before? Why would he ever do so?

"Eric, how did I die?"

Eric froze at the question. He'd hoped Godric would never ask it. He'd asked plenty of questions about his life, and Eric had been reluctant to answer even those, but to tell him about his death? To relive it himself? He could not do it.

"You were not the same vampire, Godric. And I will say no more."

He opened the door and summoned the girl he'd chosen for Godric, watching carefully as his maker fed. For a moment he was half tempted to go to Dallas and bring Godric's human back with him. Let her deal with the questioning. She would have more answers for his last years anyway.

"Eric, there's a problem outside."

He growled at Heather for the interruption, but she stood firmly in place.

"Pam sent me to get you there's a detective who wants to talk to you."

"I'll be there in a minute. Tell Pam to make sure he has a warrant before she lets him poke around in anything."

"Of course."

Damned humans. Every time a person went missing, they went straight to the vampires for the cause. Did they have no more imagination?

"Attend to your business, Eric. I believe I shall return to the house."

There was nothing further to interest him in the club, and he saw no reason for his continued presence. Eric didn't need his assistance, and there were a few books in the library that he had not yet read.

"Heather, go with him," Eric ordered as he headed back for the crowd and the detective determined to harass him tonight.

Godric bit back a very human sigh of irritation as Eric arranged a baby sitter for him. It might be time to remind his child of his place. Even missing his memory, Godric was still the elder vampire. He did not require this baby vamp to follow him around.

"Are you ready to go sir?"

"Yes Heather. I am ready."

He walked out of the club, heather keeping pace beside him. He wanted to walk back to the house; it would give him space to think. There was peace in walking, with nothing to require one's attention.

"Are you alright sir? You look troubled."

He momentarily considered berating the girl for interrupting this thought, but he could see that her desire to help was sincere. And she would do far better with encouragement. Besides, he rather liked her.

"I appreciate your concern, Heather. But it is nothing you can help with."

"Is it about your human girl?"

He stopped in his tracks and stared at the young vampire.

"I heard her voice when you spoke on the phone. And you spent so long talking; I know she has to be special to you."

"She is very special,'' he muttered quietly, almost too low for her to hear.

"Then why don't you go see her?"

"The situation is complex."

"Because of your memory issue?"

She held up her hands in a non-threatening gesture when Godric's fangs dropped and he growled at her in warning.

"Sorry! I heard Eric threatening the old witch as he escorted her out. I can keep a secret, I swear. I won't tell anyone, not even my brother."

Godric's anger didn't dissipate, even though he believed her. His anger wasn't directed at her, but rather at the fact that she was right.

"It was not safe to remain in Dallas in my current condition," he finally admitted to the patiently waiting girl as he resumed his walking, "and she chose to remain behind."

It occurred to him that Heather, being the closest in age to Mercedes of any of them, might better understand how his human's mind worked. She was a woman of the same century, after all.

"Did she say why she wouldn't come?" Heather asked as they walked, pleased that he hadn't yelled at her or shown any inclination to hit her (unlike Eric, who nearly always acted as if he was only barely restraining himself.).

"She said only that she couldn't come. Eric tells me that I'm not the same vampire I was then. It's quite probably that she no longer wishes to be mine."

"I don't think that's it," Heather's casual statement surprised him. He looked sideways at her, waiting for her to continue.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if she's so important to you that you spend hours on the phone with her, I'm taking a stab that she knows you pretty well, right? If she knows all about who you used to be over the last two thousand years, I doubt she'd be too surprised by this new you. I mean, you're not the same as you were when you were human, or when you were first turned, are you? You've already changed a lot over two millennia, and I expect she knows that. Unless you're as bad at sharing personal things as Eric, but I just don't get that vibe from you. I think you let those who were closest to you see you as you really were."

He was surprised at the young woman's perceptiveness. Unfortunately, he couldn't remember whether she was right. She was spot on about Eric, though. He had to smile at her description of his child.

"I was engaged before I was turned," she continued as he looked at her with new appreciation, "and Jeff and I had to call it off. It had nothing to do with his not loving me because I was the same person. My maker offered to turn him if he wanted it . But Jeff had other obligations, other people who depended on him. He couldn't leave them all behind to come with me."

Godric had not considered that. His only real thought had been that his Mercedes had sent him away. He had not questioned why she would not come with him. Perhaps there were other humans she felt she could not leave? It would certainly fit the character of his human, he knew in his gut. He would have to give strong consideration to this new theory.


	7. A very long couple of days, part 1

"Miss Wright, can you step into my office please?"

"Can it wait, John? I have to get Ava."

"It's important."

Mercy muttered to herself after the voice on the intercom cut off, but resigned herself to going to the headmaster's office. She wondered what he could possibly want as she made her way through the building. Since the blow-up a month ago, Kate and Carol had both backed off, at least from berating her openly. As far as she knew, none of the students had a complaint that was extraordinary enough to warrant a meeting with Dunning. None of them had shown any sort of problems that might warrant a meeting, either. Her lesson plans for the rest of the semester had already been turned in and approved. What could the man possibly want?

She knocked once on the door before walking inside. John Dunning looked up from the papers covering his desk.

"Good, you're here. Please have a seat, Mercedes."

"What's this about John," she asked as she took a seat. The look on his face suggested that he didn't want to talk about anything good.

"You'll have heard about the budget meeting last week, yes?"

She nodded, not sure where he was going with this. Everyone had heard of the budget meeting last week. Dunning had come out of it cursing a blue streak and headed for the nearest bar, and none of the attendees on the Concerned Parents Committee had looked any happier. None of the details had been made public, though, so she had no idea what went wrong.

"What I'm telling you isn't public knowledge yet, and I expect you to keep this in strictest confidence. Caleb Patterson is going to be indicted next week for fraud. The arrest was announced this morning. As you know, Mr. Patters on was our school's largest donor, and after last week's budget review—there is no possible way to make up for the funding we lost. All of our programs will be affected, but the most impacted will be the scholarship program."

Oh no. Mercy's heart constricted at the news. There were nearly a dozen students at the school on scholarships; students who would have to go to other schools if they lost that funding. Most of them were from the more troubled neighborhoods in Dallas; they would never be able to afford the tuition.

"Now I'm telling you this because I know how important the program is to you, and I didn't' want you to have to find out from the rumor mill. I don't think I need to tell you to keep this to yourself for now."

Mercy sat stunned. Caleb Patterson, a thief? The news didn't seem real. She thought of all the students who would be affected. Many of them were in her classes. Jamal, Samuel, Maria, Lisa—they would be seniors next year.

"There has to be something we can do, John."

"I really wish there was. But I've gone over the numbers repeatedly. We're losing a half million dollars, and we're almost at the end of the semester. There's simply no way to make up that funding before next school year."

What did they do with all that money? Half a million dollars—some public schools couldn't dream of getting that much donated to them, not in a decade.

"How long do we have?"

"We'll have to begin notifying parents next week. Timothy Cooper, head of the Concerned Parents Committee, is still trying to make up the difference, but the cuts will have to begin by the end of the month."

"Thank you for letting me know John."

"I'll be calling a meeting for the entire faculty to make them aware at the end of this week."

That was her cue to leave, and Mercy rose to her feet. She made her way to the door on autopilot, but froze before leaving.

"Have you checked with the Gaulman Foundation?"

_Mercy didn't know why she was sitting in this lawyer's office. She'd never heard of Arnold Sullivan before, and was curious as to how he'd gotten her number, and what the man wanted._

"_Miss Wright, Mr. Sullivan will see you now."_

_She gave the barest nod to the receptionist who waved her into the hallway and pointed out the correct office. Arnold Sullivan wasn't exactly what she'd expected as he stood in the doorway to greet her. He looked like he was in his thirties, but his business card said he'd been in practice for over fifty years._

"_Good evening, Mrs. Gaulman. I hope you weren't terribly inconvenienced by the meeting time. I'm afraid meeting during the day is quite impossible.'_

_Of course. He was a vampire. She was surprised she didn't notice it straight away._

"_Please do make yourself comfortable."_

"_You've got to be kidding me."_

_Several seconds silence was broken by that incredulous statement. Mercy couldn't believe her ears. Surely Sullivan had to be joking._

"_I am perfectly serious, Mrs. Gaulman. Mr. Gaulman came to me to change his Will a number of years ago. His provision for you was most explicit. The house outside of Dallas and the one in Tuscany have been transferred to you, as well as five percent of his money. The rest of his wealth he left to his progeny. I'm sure you can understand that even though you are his wife by our standards, his progeny are entitled to the bulk of his estate. Mr. Gaulman has certainly been far more generous than most vampires are to their humans."_

"_You really think I'm mad he didn't leave me more money? Are you insane? What am I supposed to do with eighteen million dollars, let alone anything more?"_

"_Billion, Mrs. Gaulman. With a 'B'."_

_Mercy sank back down in the chair, her legs no longer supporting her. Godric left her eighteen billion dollars? How was she supposed to spend even a fraction of that?_

"That's a vampire run foundation. I can't make an application for funds from them. The CPC would have my head."

"It's not a vampire foundation, John. It was set up by a human. You really should make an application for funds from them."

"What makes you so sure it's human run? No one can find out anything about the founder and believe me, everyone's tried."

Well, it was gratifying to hear that Sullivan managed that much, and her anonymity was still secure. Her biggest concern was that word of her newfound wealth would get out, and she'd never hear the end of people wanting money. She'd already had enough of that from Ethan, and Ava's grandmother.

"Have they?"

"Of course they have. A brand new ten billion dollar charitable foundation comes on the scene—trust me: everyone wants to know where that money came from. And no one's ever heard of this Gaulman. That's why they're so sure it's a vampire trying to buy their way into Dallas society."

"Even if it was a vampire foundation, that shouldn't stop you from applying for a grant. Those kids deserve those scholarships. That shouldn't even be a question."

"Unfortunately it will be a very big question for the parents who pay tuition for their kids. Asking vampires for money—do you even realize how many families at this school attend The Fellowship of the Sun? Taking money from vampires would get me fired or worse, get those children pulled from the school."

"But it's alright to toss out the kids who can't afford the tuition? Never mind that they've earned the right to be here, as much as or more than those kids with rich parents?"

She could see the headmaster bite back a sharp retort, and she bit her own tongue. Yelling at the man wouldn't do anyone any good. And she could tell that he really WAS trying to work out the problem. He cared about those kids just as much as she did. He didn't have to tell her about the crisis, after all, but he had.

"Like I said, Mercy, give me proof that the Gaulman foundation isn't a vampire run foundation, and I'll file an application tomorrow."

She cursed softly. If this got out—she could kiss her privacy goodbye. But his scholarship program was too important to do nothing.

"I know it's not a vampire foundation because it's mine," she answered with a sigh. "I founded it. It's my money."

The man just looked at her, dumbfounded. She supposed it wasn't every day one found out that one's teacher was worth the Gross Domestic Product of a small country.

"But—if you—"

"Here's how this will work," she spoke, quickly overrunning his struggle for the appropriate rhetorical question, "You'll make an application to the foundation for a grant. I'll instruct the board that a one-time donation is to be made, let's say two million dollars, which will go strictly to the scholarship program. Anything else you'll have to apply for just like everyone else.

In exchange for that, this conversation never took place. No one at this school knows about the foundation, and I intend to keep it that way. If I start getting calls and requests, I'll know exactly who leaked the information. And then we'll see who's worse: me, or the CPC."

The man couldn't do more than nod, and Mercy left him to the rest of his work. She just hoped this wouldn't come back to bite her in the butt. She didn't have time to worry about it any longer. She had to get Ava, and she'd promised the girl a trip to the animal shelter. It was time for a pet upgrade. The goldfish had lasted the entire six months Ava had lived with her, and that was the deal.

TB-TB-TB-TB-TB

Eric waited, impatiently, for Magda to show up. A month of waiting, and she finally called him to say she had a spell that stood a chance of working. Beside him, Godric was waiting even more impatiently. He paid no attention to the bar patrons who were eyeing him with frank curiosity; it was the first time he'd ever joined Eric on the stage. What could be keeping the old woman?

Finally, he could see the graying head at the club entrance, pushing her way through the crowds with ease. The humans might not know why they were so leery of the old woman who looked utterly ordinary, but most of them were smart enough to know they didn't want to mess with her. She was followed by three much younger women, and Eric smiled. He could have some fun with the young witches.

"Northman."

"Magda."

He led the group downstairs to the basement, where there was more room for so many people. It was fortunate that he didn't have any prisoners down there at the moment. The last one had been released a week ago, and the dungeon sterilized. He didn't have to worry about anyone begging for help, or the witches refusing to perform their spell.

"It would seem that one of our younger coven members was not completely well when she participated in the original spell. This is the only cause I have been able to find for the spell's incomplete success."

"And you can fix this?"

"I can attempt to mend the error, vampire. But I must warn you that there is great risk to this. The spell I found to aid memory was not designed for this purpose. It could work completely, or not at all. But performing this spell could cost your life. You must decide if that is a risk you wish to take."

Eric couldn't believe his eyes. Godric was actually considering it.

"Get out," he ordered the witches.

"Eric," Godric's tone was infinitely patient, which only pissed Eric off more.

"It's not worth your life!"

"Eric, I must know."

"You heard her, it might not even work! Why would you risk the True Death for something that might not work?!"

He didn't understand why his maker was so willing to risk his life. It was the rooftop of the Carmilla all over again. He could NOT watch Godric die.

"You know why."

So he could go back to Mercy. It came back to that damned human again. How could Godric choose her over his progeny?

"Do you really think she would want you to do this? To risk dying? Do you really think she'd say it was worth your life?"

One of the younger women stepped forward, and Eric bared his fangs at her. She shrank back immediately. He wasn't about to let any of them near his maker.

"Eric—"

"This is insanity!"

Godric wished he could find the words to make Eric understand. He needed to do this. If he was to have any hope of returning to his Mercedes, he needed his memories to eliminate any threat. But even more than that, he needed to know who he was. How could he make Eric see?

"Eric—"

"You can't do this to me, Godric! You can't ask me to let you die again!"

He could not ignore his child's very real distress. Especially when it looked as though he was the cause. His child was the most important thing in his existence, apart from Mercedes.

"Very well, Eric. Your services are not required this evening," he directed that last comment to Magda and her coven, keeping his eye on his progeny, who looked ready to tear them limb from limb. Magda ushered the younger women up the stairs, but stopped and muttered a few words over Godric that he didn't understand.

"Perhaps it will help."

She left him with those words, so that he and Eric were the only ones in the basement. Godric turned his full attention on the Viking.

"What did I do to you, child?"

Eric didn't answer; instead speeding up the stairs and out of the building. Godric stared after him for a moment before walking up at a much more sedate pace. He was surprised to not that Eric had left the club altogether.

He could feel the emotions bleeding off the younger vampire: anger, concern for his maker, and the pain of knowing that he wasn't enough. Rage, which Godric assumed was directed at Mercedes. He lamented his inability to explain his need for the human in a way that Eric could understand. She was the first thing he knew in a completely alien place. An anchor. A single creature in this foreign land that recognized him. Until she summoned Eric, she was the only thing he knew. He didn't know the depth of the bond they shared, but it was as if she kept some vital piece of him for herself when she sent him away.

Eric hadn't gone far—he returned only a minute later.

"Let's go."

TB-TB-TB-TB-TB

Mercy was startled out of a very-vivid-dream when she heard something outside her window. She grabbed her pistol from the bedside table, loading the magazine and aiming at the window as she sat up in one fluid movement. She almost dropped the gun when she saw who was standing outside.

She wasn't the only one to be awakened by her late night visitors. She heard the tell-tale sounds of four-legged creatures running down the hall as she slid out of the bed and into a pair of slippers. Two rather large dogs sprinted into her room and stood growling at the vampires on the other side of the glass.

"Quiet Brutus, Nero. You'll wake up Ava."

Oh snap. Godric and Eric were standing outside her window, waiting for her to let them in, while Ava was asleep just down the hall. They didn't know about her. At least, she didn't think Eric knew about her. She wasn't sure how much Isabel knew about Ava, or what she might have told the Viking.

"Mercedes?"

Darn it. She couldn't just leave them out there. The dogs followed her out into the living room, standing guard at the front door while she deactivated the alarm. They started growling again as the two vampires appeared at the door.

"If you two wake up Ava I'm taking you back to the shelter, you got that?"

Whoever said dogs weren't intelligent had clearly never met this particular breed. They looked at her in all seriousness, and Mercy could swear Brutus actually nodded his head before he sat at attention. Once she was fairly certain they wouldn't pounce, she opened the door.

"Come in."

Godric looked tired, Eric looked terrible, and she was in no mood to stand questioning them on her doorstep. There would be time for questions if they stayed tomorrow night, or woke before she got home from school. The two vampires stepped inside, and Mercy wasn't too surprised when Godric immediately puller her into his arms and started sniffing her. Brutus watched this strange ritual curiously, while Nero kept an eye on Eric, who was purposely avoiding watching the pair.

He visually inspected the house as a distraction until his attention was caught by the presence of a fourth heartbeat. He counted a second time, just to make sure. There was Mercy, and the two animals, and—there it was: a fourth heartbeat. It was slow but unmistakable. Someone else was in this house. If Mercy had brought another man into this house after evicting his maker, someone would die. He followed the heartbeat away from the public areas of the house.

Mercy saw Eric head for the bedrooms and immediately tried to detach herself from Godric. She called the Viking's name as she followed him, Godric on her heels and now distracted by the heartbeats he could hear. When she finally reached Eric, the blond was standing completely still in Ava's room, staring transfixed at the child sleeping in the bed.

"Explain this," he ordered Mercy. He noted Godric step protectively in front of his human before peering at the slumbering child curiously.

"It's a kid."

"I can see that. What's it doing here?"

"Sleeping. And if you wake her up, I'll break you."

The look on Eric's face suggested that he might happily break HER. Nero seemed to sense the vampire's agitation, because he jumped up on the bed and curled up at the child's feet, daring Eric to make a move towards them.

"Why is there a child sleeping in this house?" Godric was looking to her for explanation as well.

"Ava lives with me. She's my niece, so leave her alone."

She waited until Eric and Godric left the room before she pulled the door closed, and directed them to the living room. She offered them True Blood, but they both shook their head, so she took a seat on the couch.

"How is it that your niece came to live with you?" Godric asked, unwilling to broach the subject of why they came to Dallas. Had he known Eric intended to bring him here—happy as he was to see Mercedes, they'd interrupted her rest. They should not be here, and he half feared that once he explained the reason for their coming, she would send them away.

"Her mother died six months ago. And my brother-her father-is in the army. So I took her in."

Six months. SO the child was not a part of his time with Mercedes. He couldn't say why that relieved him. Regardless of that, the child's presence was an obstacle. It was no wonder Mercedes would not come with him.

"Alright then, if that's all you came for, I have to be at work in five hours so I'm going back to bed. If you're leaving do it now before I set the alarm."

Neither man made a move to leave. Eric was taking his cue from Godric. The smaller vampire was watching his human. She had not ordered them to leave. She was willing to allow them to stay. Mercy watched the two of them for a second before reactivating the security system, entering the code that would trigger the light panels.

"Feel free to browse the DVD library or use the laptop. Eric, keep in mind that a five year old gets on that computer, so if I find anything inappropriate, I'll stake you. All the rooms are light tight, so feel free to crash in any of them."

She left the two vampires watching her and returned to her room. She had to be up in four hours and at work in five. She just wanted to go back to sleep. She wasn't too surprised when her door opened only seconds after she closed it and Godric joined her.

"I will stay here."

While he looked uncertain as to his welcome, it wasn't a question. Mercy just pulled the covers back further in invitation. She didn't feel like arguing, not when she could tell something still bothered him.

"That wasn't an invitation for you to get naked," she commented as he slid into the bed, already stripped of his clothes. She was too tired to even think about sex.

"I can feel your exhaustion, Mercedes. I wish simply to hold you as you sleep this night."

He suited actions to words by pulling her close against him, positioning her so that her head was pillowed on his chest. This felt familiar, and comfortable.

"We have shared a bed in this way before, have we not?"

"Many times," she mumbled sleepily before drifting back into slumber.

The sun was only just beginning to peek out when Mercy's alarm went off. She could feel Godric settling around her, his eyes closing as he started to die for the day.

"I don't think so vampire. I have to go to work today."

His movements were growing sluggish, the only reason she was able to slip from his arms before they could tighten enough to hold her in.

"Do not leave me, Mercedes."

"I'll be back tonight."

She carded a hand through the short hair as his eyes drifted closed. Looking at his eyes, it was easy to forget his physical age. Dead to the world he looked almost like a little boy, not a man. He could definitely pass for one of her students.

She'd only just managed to get her bra on when Eric walked in, and she glared at him as she pulled the shirt over her head. Surprisingly, he wasn't paying any attention to her; his focus was on the vampire in the bed.

"He's not happy in Shreveport."

"Maybe not, but he's still undead there. Better undead and unhappy in Shreveport than dead dead in Dallas."

"What is it about you that commands his every waking thought? What is so damned special that he would come to you when he was resurrected?"

"Have you ever thought that was just proximity, Eric? I expect that he was just physically closer to me than he was to you. It would make a weird sort of sense that if he died in Dallas, he would come back in Dallas, and that put me as the closest bond he had. I seriously doubt he would have come to me over you, if he'd been closer to Shreveport.

As for the rest of it—I only ever expected him to be himself. Whether that was the two thousand year old vampire Sheriff, or the teenage boy. There were no expectations he had to live up to with me. And that's the whole story. Now, feel free to stay here with him, just stay out of the rest of the house so I don't have to try to explain you to Ava."

She waited until the bedroom door was closed by the blonde vampire to begin the process of waking up her niece.


	8. A very long couple of days, Part 2

"Mercy, it's me. I got leave for this weekend, so I'm on my way in town. I'll pick Ava up about six o'clock. We'll probably go see that new Disney movie if you want to come with."

Mercy deleted the voice message. She didn't need to hear it again. She was glad Ethan was coming to see his daughter without her having to remind him (for a change), but the timing was unfortunate. She doubted she was going to get her two visitors out of the house before her brother arrived.

"Is everything alright?"

Kate was watching her and she nodded as she put her phone away. Lunch was almost over, and she had the second half of her AP English class. She didn't have time to worry about Ethan's coming in. She had to cover the second half of Much Ado About Nothing in only forty-five minutes and get started on A Midsummer Night's Dream. Maybe she would bring the DVD in over the next few days to give them a bit of a break before delving into Beowulf.

"So, I'm thinking we need to get together and have a Girl's Night Out. Paul said he'd watch Ava for you tonight, and we can go see the new Gerard Butler movie.'

"It sounds like a plan, Kate, but I'm kind of busy tonight. Maybe Sunday night, though."

"What's tonight?"

"I just have some people coming over tonight."

"Really? You didn't say anything about a dinner party. What people?"

"No one you'd know. Vampires."

She had the pleasure of watching Kate's mouth gape open like a fish before she rose and dumped her lunch tray, ready to head back for the last half of class.

She was watching Ava's gymnastics class when her phone buzzed, and she pulled it out to read the text message.

**Made it early. Ur not at the house.**

She shook her head at her brother's texting skills. His messages tended to look more like a teenage girl's than a grown man's. A thought occurred to her, and she quickly typed out a response. If he could get to practice, she could hand Ava over here, and avoid a loud confrontation when Ethan ran into Godric. If she could just divert him for now, she might even be able to get Godric and Eric out of the house before they got back from whatever Ethan had planned; or at least long enough to get them settled into bed for the night. Anything that might help avoid an all-out fight in front of Ava. Besides, he needed to take a bigger interest in his daughter's life beyond movies and trips to Sea World.

Ethan joined her in the seats before the class ended. They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the class.

"She's pretty good," Ethan commented, surprised.

"She is. The teacher she we should consider putting her in the gym if she continues to improve. And if she wants to keep doing it."

"Really?"

Mercy nodded. They watched until the lesson was over and Ava spotted them.

"Daddy!"

She hurled herself into her father's arms as he bent down to catch her.

"Hey there Ava! You were so good baby girl!"

Mercy herded the girl to the locker room to change once Ethan set her down, and they returned several minutes later. It took less convincing (or arguing, depending on how you looked at it) then she'd expected to send Ethan and Ava on their way without her. Mercy found herself on her way home with no further interruptions, only a quick stop at a drive-thru so she wouldn't have to bother with cooking.

Brutus and Nero greeted her at the wrought-iron fence, briefly voicing their indignation that she dared to leave them, and then jumping over themselves to lick her hand and any other body part she could reach. She scratched them both thoroughly before opening the house and stepping inside to de-activate the alarm. The dogs were at the back door before she could even set her bags down. She opened the door to let them in, and they immediately circled around her.

"It you'd give me two minutes I could get you fed, you knuckleheads!"

The rebuke would probably carry more weight if she actually sounded upset, rather than trying to rein in her laughter. They were only a year old and still acted every inch the puppy. She could definitely put them to work exhausting Ava over the weekend.

"He'll be awake soon," Mercy jumped at Eric's sneaking up on her, "and there are a few things we need to talk about before he does."

"What do you mean?"

"This isn't entirely a social visit."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXX

Godric woke, momentarily wondering why Mercedes was not with him. She had not stayed the day with him; he remembered she'd left for work, promising to return in the evening. He could hear three heartbeats in the house; she must be home. He quickly dressed and made his way to the main part of the house.

He was surprised to see Mercedes and Eric sitting together on the couch. She was eating food, and Eric was drinking a bottle of that distasteful True Blood, and they were not fighting.

"Good, you're awake. True Blood?"

What an unappealing offer. Still, he needed blood, and since she did not appear ready to offer hers again, he accepted. It would be a poor substitute for Mercedes' blood, but he would manage.

"Your niece is not with you?"

"No. Ethan got leave at the last minute, so tonight he's taking Ava to a movie."

"Why does he not care for her himself? Why does she live with you?"

He'd spent a great deal of the hours she'd slept contemplating that precise question. Why should this child be Mercedes' responsibility? Why should the care of a child that was not her own take precedence over her coming to him? The child's father was clearly living. Why was he not raising her?

"Because while I love my brother, I am fully aware that if he wasn't forced to work for a living and support himself, he would become one of the most worthless people alive. If he took Ava full time, he would quit the army and expect me to support him, and I refuse to do so. I am happy to take care of Ava myself; I will not just hand a blank check to Ethan or her grandmother for them to do so."

"Why would they expect you to do so?"

"Because you left me eighteen billion dollars, and if I have so much money, why shouldn't they?"

Judging from her tone of voice, Mercedes was eager to change the subject, and Godric looked to Eric to lead the conversation. It would suit him very well to simply pay off the brother and give him responsibility for his own child, but he had a feeling that only an argument would come from sharing that view with Mercedes. It was over an hour later when their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the front door. The dogs immediately went on alert, standing guard and growling. Mercy excused herself to answer the summons with some wariness, as she had no idea who it could be. Ethan wasn't due back with Ave for at least two more hours, and she wasn't expecting anyone else. Just the mention of vampires should have been enough to keep Kate away until Mercy told her it was all clear.

She froze when she saw who was standing outside her door and cursed softly. What was Isabel doing here, tonight of all nights? Godric could see her hesitation, and was immediately at her side. Something had caused his human great alarm, and he would not stand for that.

"Eric, if you and Godric could go to another room and wait until my visitor is gone, I'd appreciate it."

"What?"

"Please, Eric."

"Mercy, what's going on?"

The knock came again. Isabel wasn't one to wait patiently.

"Mercy? Are you alright?"

Hearing Isabel's voice through the door, Eric froze as well. Shit.

"Everything's fine, Isabel! I'll be right there!"

"We need to go," Eric tried to herd Godric out of the room, but Godric refused to budge.

"Please, Godric. Isabel won't hurt me."

"I am not leaving you alone with an unknown vampire standing at your door."

"I'll be fine, Godric. Please just go with Eric."

Godric shook his head stubbornly. Until he determined for himself that there was no threat, he was NOT leaving his human to the mercy of an unknown vampire. If Eric thought he could remove him by force he was greatly mistaken. Rather than listen to more argument, he simply pulled the door open to face whoever Mercy wished him to hide from. He blinked when he saw a woman, who was staring at him in shock.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Isabel, it's—it's complicated."

Mercy couldn't give any more explanation because Godric shoved her to Eric and jerked Isabel inside the house. Seriously? This was going to be the first meeting with Eric all over again.

"Godric, stop! Isabel is the Sheriff here and she's a friend! It's fine!"

He ignored her, lifting Isabel by the throat and flinging her into the wall. Isabel reacted immediately, regaining her feet and baring her fangs. She refrained from attacking Godric, instead maintaining a defensive posture. Godric growled at her in warning.

"How is this possible?"

Mercy wasn't sure how to explain—she wasn't even sure she understood Eric's explanation. Fist she was dealing with vamps, and now witches? What else could be out there that she didn't know about? She let Eric take over the responsibility of explaining this to the local Sheriff.

"This is extraordinary," Isabel finally managed to say after Eric relayed his story.

"It is. But you have to keep it to yourself. Vincent can't know about Godric."

Isabel looked to the smaller vampire, who had seated himself on the couch with Mercy. It was strange to see him watching her, with no sign or recognition. A century of serving as a nest mate and lieutenant, all gone.

"This isn't something that can be hidden, Eric! Everyone was aware of what—everyone knows. How do you plan on explaining his reappearance?"

I don't plan to explain anything. He's living in Shreveport with me. It's none of Vincent's business."

"And yet you are here in Dallas. And I somehow doubt this will be your last visit so long as Mercy lives here. Do you really think he won't be noticed by someone else eventually?"

Godric could not think well of this woman arguing with Eric as if he was not in the room. Did she believe that he was as young as he appeared to be? He thought she looked vaguely familiar, but could not remember why he would have reason to know the Sheriff of the area.

"Should I know this woman?" he asked Mercedes, who appeared to be doing her best to ignore the arguing vampires. She looked at him in surprise.

"Do you think you know her?"

"She seems familiar."

Isabel was looking at him strangely, and he positioned himself slightly in front of Mercedes. The human woman laid a hand lightly on his arm. This was familiar. His human was able to soothe him with a simple touch. This knowledge only confused him more. In ten year's time, he'd never tried to turn her? He never hesitated when he wished to do something. He'd been fascinated by Eric after watching him in a single battle, and chosen to turn him the moment he saw the beautiful giant laying on a funeral pyre. He did not delay.

He froze as his thoughts replayed themselves in his head. He remembered turning Eric? He closed his eyes, trying to summon the memory.

_A pitched battle was taking place nearby, drawing him with its noise. With all the blood flowing, he would have an easy meal for a change. It had been a long time since he'd been near so many humans. Even in these primitive villages, they recognized him as something Other, and with no invitation he was prohibited from entering their huts. Hus human blood only came when he stumbled across a solitary hunter or traveler in the woods. He would be a fool to turn down such an opportunity as a battle still going on. _

_His attention was immediately captured by a golden haired giant who towered over his enemies, and even his allies. The man fought ferociously. He'd never seen a fighter quite like this human. It was beautiful. The human was beautiful. He wanted this human, and he would have him._

_It was bad fortune that the fighting continued until it was very nearly sunrise, and his human never fell. He'd taken full advantage of his predatory speed to drain a few whose time had come, and hasten them on their journey to whatever afterlife awaited them, but to take one still standing was to rise exposure, and the giant was not injured until he was forced to seek shelter from the sun. He knew the human's scent now; he would track them when he rose._

_As soon as it was dark he set out. They could not have gone far, not with the giant injured. His only real worry was that the human might already be dead. He had not known how seriously the man was wounded._

_He saw their fires first. They had found no cave, no shelter. They had simply chosen an open space under the trees, and planed their fire torches for protection from animals. Then he saw that only two stood and neither of them was the giant. Where was his human?_

_The giant lay on a funeral pyre. Enraged that he'd missed his chance, he tore through the humans, only recognizing at the last possible instant that when one of them spoke to the figure on the pyre, he had answered. Not dead then. Not yet._

"_Are you death?" _

_His giant spoke in the Norseman's tongue._

"_I am," he answered in the same._

"_But you're just a little boy."_

"_I'm not."_

_He had to smile. His giant was not afraid of death. He wished to fight death, even in his weakened state. He could not let this extraordinary human simply disappear from the Earth. He would make this human like him._

"Godric. Are you alright?"

He could hear the concern in Mercedes' voice. How long had she tried to get his attention?

"I am fine, Mercedes."

Isabel and Eric both looked to him, their argument apparently over.

"Is everything alright, Godric?"

"Yes Eric."

He would not tell his child he remembered the night he turned him, not yet. He wanted to savor the memory for himself, for a time. Besides, there was no guarantee that any other memories would return, and he could not bear to raise Eric's hopes only to be disappointed.

"I will say nothing to Vincent," Isabel stated, as if she'd just reached a decision, "but if anyone else finds him, Vincent is sure to find out. I'm sure I don't need to tell you he won't be happy at the news."

"I am not worried about this Vincent," Godric stated calmly.

"Of course you're not," they heard Mercy mutter under her breath, making Eric smile,"Stupid invincible vampire's not afraid of anything, not even the sun."

"What does that mean," Godric asked with a slight smile, expecting some comment about senseless manchildren or daredevil teenagers. At least, until he saw Eric and Isabel freeze, looking at Mercedes in horror. The human herself looked shocked, as if she couldn't believe what she'd said.

"Mercedes?"

"Nothing. It's nothing Godric."

"I don't believe you."

She was lying to him, but why? He looked to his child, who would not look at him.

"Eric? Isabel?"

Neither would answer him, and now he was growing concerned. This was clearly something of significance, and they wanted to keep him in the dark. Neither vampire would look at him. Why was the reference to the sun so important?

"I was just being foolish, Godric. It's nothing, really."

"Please don't lie to me, Mercedes. What could be so terrible that you feel you must lie?"

Mercy looked from Isabel to Eric, silently begging one of them to intervene at this point. Both remained stubbornly silent. She couldn't blame them; she had no more heart than they did to bring up that terrible night. She could kick herself for even mentioning the sun.

Godric looked between the three who were so unwilling to answer him. He could practically see the tension humming between them. He had the sinking feeling that this had something to do with what Eric alluded to the night before. He turned back to Mercedes, who wasn't nearly able to maintain the stubborn silence Eric was.

"Mercedes? What did I do?"

She looked to Eric, and to Isabel, who walked out of the living room and into the kitchen where the dos followed her hoping for a treat, before looking back to Godric.

"You died."

He froze. They—they blamed him for dying? But—

"—you waited until I was out of the country to give yourself up to the Fellowship of the Sun. Eric went after you, thinking you'd been taken. Steve Newlin retaliated by sending a suicide bomber into the nest, and after, you met the sun on the room of the Hotel Carmilla."

He looked to Eric in horror, silently pleading him to deny it. He could not have been so cruel as to abandon his child, abandon Mercedes. The blood tears rimming Eric's eyes only confirmed his fear. Without a word to anyone he left the house in a blur. Eric and Mercedes stared at the suddenly empty spot where he'd been sitting.

"I believe I should go," Isabel announced as she joined them, " I have other things I must see to this evening. Please tell Godric that I would welcome the chance to talk with him in future."

Mercy just nodded numbly as Isabel left. Her stupor didn't break until her home phone started ringing. It startled her enough that she jumped, but after checking the Caller ID and not recognizing the number she ignored it, opting to let the machine pick it up.

"Miss Wright, this is Steve Newlin. I've been trying to get in touch with you through Preston Harper—"

Mercy didn't hear any more of the message as the phone was knocked off the bookcase with enough force to put a hole in the wall when it impacted. She looked at the enraged Viking in shock.

'You owe me a new phone. And you're fixing my wall."

'You dare talk to that man?!"

"I've never spoken to him before in my life!"

"And yet he has your phone number."

"Which I'm guessing he was given by the realtor who keeps listing my house. I would assume that he's the client Harper has been trying to get me to agree to meet."

"You're selling the house?"

"Not in this lifetime, and it's a long story I don't want to get into. Not when we've got bigger issues."

"Don't pretend so much concern now. It's a bit late for that."

Mercy stared at him, wondering whether vampires could suffer a break with reality.

"Did you really just say that to me?"

"You weren't concerned when your rejection drove him to the Fellowship in the first place!"

"How can you still be going on about this when I never rejected the kid?!"

His fangs dropped as he advanced on her, his voice rising. Mercy stood her ground. She refused to be intimidated by the Viking brat in her own home.

"Ten years as his human, yet you're still a virgin when he dies? Godric would never spend so much time with a human without taking them to bed!"

"And because I wouldn't let the kid into my pants I drove him to suicide?"

"So you admit you refused him, when he showed you such favor?"

"Of course I refused him! That doesn't mean he decided to kill himself over it! Wake up Viking!"

"Godric would never get so close to a human without a deep emotional attachment," Eric stated very quietly, now standing directly in front of her, exposed fangs hovering dangerously close to fragile skin, "an attachment you withheld."

"You say that like I had a choice," she hissed at him, squaring her shoulders to look up at the towering vampire.

"And why wouldn't you have a choice?" Eric demanded, resisting the urge to drain the human who'd managed to take his place in his maker's heart. He would almost respect the girl for refusing to back down, except for the fact that he held her responsible for this current disaster. Why couldn't she keep her damn mouth shut?

"Really? You really don't have a clue? And here Godric always spoke of how intelligent you are."

"Well explain it to me like you would a child."

"He's a kid, Eric!"

Eric growled at her description of Godric. She dared show him such contempt?

"He's two thousand years old, Mercedes!"

"He's two thousand going on seventeen! Tell me honestly, Eric. Does he look like an adult to you/"

Eric shook his head, his patience running out. That was no answer. Mercy stopped him from interrupting her.

"I don't' know how old he was when he was turned. I don't know if he even remembers. But he looks like a kid. To say he's seventeen is believable, eighteen is pushing it. To say he's twenty or twenty one is a generous lie. Physically, he's the same age as my students and there are laws about that sort of thing. I couldn't let myself think of him like that."

"Human laws that don't apply to vampires!"

"And vampires didn't exist to the world at large until quite recently. Everyone who saw us together naturally assumed he was human. And without having sex with him I had colleagues expressing their concern over how close we were, a headmaster who was certain I was a pedophile, and a Concerned Parents Committee calling for my head! The only reason I wasn't fired was because no one could prove he was actually a student, anywhere!

I know that in your world, physical age matters very little. But I don't live in your world, Eric. I have to live in mine. And in my world-I'm a teacher Eric. It's all I've ever wanted to do, and I'm damn good at it—having that relationship with Godric would have cost me everything. So don't presume, Viking."

Eric stepped back, stunned not only by her tirade, but by the bitterness in her tone. She didn't give him even an inch of room to keep hating her.

"Enough Eric."

Godric's quiet command was enough to make his child spin around to face him. He'd come back at the first raised voice, but didn't want to make his presence known. He'd wanted to hear, from Mercedes' own lips, why she'd kept him at such a distance during their time together. Now he just wished the discussion had never been started.

"And you!"

His focus shifted from Eric to Mercedes as she directed her ire at him.

"You waited until I was out of the country, on a trip you lobbied me to take, so that you could end your life?! You care so little that you could leave me behind, just like that, without even the courtesy of letting me say goodbye?!"

Her voice rose until she was all but shouting, but that wasn't enough to drown out the sound as she unleashed her long-repressed anger in a resounding slap to his face before taking off to her bedroom, the tears that had been threatening now spilling over. Godric's sole thought as he raised a hand to the cheek that received the barely felt sting was that he had just made his Mercedes cry.


	9. A very long couple of days, Part 3

Godric stood rooted to the floor, frozen. His first instinct was to follow Mercedes, but he heard the lock turn. He could easily break the door, but she clearly didn't want him. How could he have hurt her, hurt Eric, so badly? He was at a loss as to what to do now.

"Isabel said your human was quite a mess after you died. She worried Mercy might just follow after you."

Godric looked helplessly at his progeny.

"How could I simply abandon the two of you?"

"You were not the same vampire. You were different."

"That does not excuse."

For Eric, it excused a great deal. He didn't know why Godric had fallen into such a depression that led him to the sun, but the vampire before him was not the same. Whether it was the fact that he was not burdened with a thousand years of memories, or that he had (finally) fully claimed his human, Godric was much more the vampire he'd been when Eric first knew him. It was enough for him to know that his Maker was back. It would have to be enough for the human as well.

Godric shook his head when Eric voiced that opinion. He was gratified that his child was satisfied with only his return, but he could not simply accept that. How could he be so cruel to those who were so important to him? Why would he ever wish to end his existence? Had he changed so much? He knew that Eric blamed Mercedes, but he could not. He was responsible for his own decisions.

"You should talk to her."

He knew Eric was right, but he thought it might be better to let her cool off first. If he went through that door now, she might stake him.

"How long will we stay?"

"Unless I get a call from Pam or Heather, we'll stay as long as necessary."

Good. He could not leave things with Mercedes as they were, but he had no idea how long it might take to repair the damage. He could feel her anger, and how much she was hurting. To know that he had caused such pain to someone so precious-

"She'll forgive you, Godric."

"I've hurt her. Badly. Just as I've hurt you."

"You're back. That's all that matters."

"I doubt she'll see it that way."

He took a seat on the couch, determined to wait until he felt her calm down to talk to her, in the hope that she would be more receptive to what he had to say. He was surprised when one of the dogs joined him, curling up beside him, and even gave him a tentative lick on his hand. Most animals tended to shy away from vampires. Eric left him alone, taking the standoff as an opportunity to feed on real blood.

Some time passed before Godric's internal musings were interrupted with the arrival of a car. His superior hearing picked up the voice of a male, who he thought might be familiar, and a child. The brother must have returned. In a flash, Godric was off the couch and knocking softly on the bedroom door, while the dogs were barking at the front.

"Mercedes, your brother has returned."

After only a moment the door opened and Mercedes stepped out, wiping her eyes. He noticed her hand was swelling. Had she injured herself in hitting him? He would have to see that it healed. He quickly sank his fangs into his own wrist and offered it to her.

"Before your brother comes.'

She took it reluctantly, but to his relief she did take it, drinking his blood. He watched carefully as her hand healed, trying (not entirely successfully) not to lose himself in the pleasure of her taking from him. The moment was shattered as the front door opened and Mercedes' brother walked in, carrying a sleeping Ava. Godric silently thanked whoever listened to vampires that the dogs kept him penned in, unable to pass them, keeping him from seeing Mercedes drinking his blood. He could feel his human's panic at just the thought of being caught like this. She dropped his wrist immediately, and he slipped into her bedroom before she could ask him to make himself scarce. She wished to avoid a confrontation; he would trust her to handle this as she saw fit. He could hear their conversation; if it looked as though things might get violent he could easily intervene.

"When did you get dogs?"

"Yesterday," Mercedes answered her brother as she made her way to the living room, wiping at her mouth and hoping there was no blood on it.

"Brutus, Nero, down."

They backed down, but looked at the stranger mistrustfully.

"Seriously? You named them after the alligators from The Rescuers? Did you let Ava pick out the names?"

"They actually had those names when we adopted them. Did you enjoy the movie?"

"She actually stayed awake and paid attention through the whole thing. She didn't pass out until we were on the way home."

"Put her to bed then, before she wakes up."

At least Ava would be easy to take care of tonight. Now if she could get rid of Ethan so easily…

"I'll get her to bed, and then I'm heading out to meet Mark and a few of the guys for drinks."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's gonna be pretty late, so I'll just crash with Mark and I come back over in the morning. I'll bring donuts or something."

If it was going to be this simple to get Ethan out of the house, Mercy wasn't going to object. And if he brought donuts, so much the better. She just nodded her agreement as Ethan carried Ava to her bedroom. It wouldn't take long to get the child in bed. Less than ten minutes later, he came out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. He froze when he saw the empty True Blood bottle sitting on the coffee table.

"What is that?"

"What does it look like? It's an empty bottle."

"And why would you have an empty True Blood bottle on your coffee table?"

He picked it up and looked at her accusingly.

"Because the vampire I gave it to finished it."

"You had a vampire in here?! What were you thinking! Are you suicidal again?!"

"I was never suicidal, you jackass!"

Mercy only barely restrained herself from smacking her idiot brother. She may have been a mess for a while after Godric died, and she freely admitted it, but she was never suicidal. It was just impossible for an outsider to understand what the loss of a strong bond with a vampire did to a person.

"Good God, Mercy, I thought you were finally done with this mess when that little one offed himself. How could you be so stupid as to get mixed up with another one?"

"I am not 'mixed up with another one'. I had a guest over, end of story. And I really don't see where I owe you an explanation."

"I won't have those bloodsuckers in this house!"

"What makes you think you have any say in who I invite into MY house?!"

"You're risking MY daughter's life!"

Lashing out, Ethan threw the bottle, and Mercy only barely heard it shatter before she almost knocked aside by an enraged vampire. Before she could blink, Godric had Ethan pinned to the floor, hands poised to break his neck.

"Godric don't!"

"You-you were dead," Ethan managed to choke out under the pressure of Godric's hand on his throat. "How the hell is that possible?"

Godric's answer was to growl at him, fangs bared, and squeeze harder. This-this pup had dared act aggressively to HIS human? He would end its life.

"Godric, no. You have to let Ethan go now."

Mercedes was kneeling beside him, a hand hovering uncertainly beside his face. This whelp was her brother; ending him would only hurt her more. In an instant, he retracted his fangs and pulled the boy to his feet, but kept himself between the two humans after he pulled Mercedes up to his side.

"Do not threaten her again," he warned, just before a muffled "daddy?" froze them all into place. Mercy turned to see a sleepy Ava rubbing her eyes, staring at them worriedly.

"It's alright, Ava. Go back to bed."

"Why does that man have pointed teeth?"

"Ava, I said go back to bed!"

Mercy turned back to glare at her brother. Yelling at the child when she was already scared wouldn't solve anything.

"It's alright, Ava. This is my friend, Godric. He and your daddy were just having an argument, that's all."

"Why're you so white? You look like Casper the Friendly Ghost."

Godric looked to Mercedes, confused. The child saw ghosts?

"It's a children's story," she offered by way of explanation.

"Are you a vampire? Sandy Franklin said vampires are really white and have really pointed teeth and live to be like a hundred and fifty!"

"I am much older than that, Little One."

He was stunned when the child walked up to him, completely unafraid, and stuck out her hand. Bemused, he took it in his own, and she shook his hand enthusiastically.

"I've never met a vampire before. Cool!"

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Little One. But your father is right; you should return to bed."

The child allowed Mercedes to pick her up and carry her back into her room without protest. Godric watched them go, aware that the boy's eyes remained glued to him. He could feel the hatred rolling off the human, and wondered what he'd done to make this boy hate him. Had the boy hated him so much before he died? From his words to Mercedes, Godric had to conclude that he did. They did not say a word to each other as they waited for Mercedes to return.

"She's out again," Mercy opened the door and stepped out a few minutes later; relieve to see that Godric hadn't murdered Ethan while she was getting Ava to bed.

"I will wait for you."

Godric inclined his head as he stepped past Mercedes to the bedroom. He would wait for her to dismiss her brother, but he would be listening. Should the boy become violent again, he would eject the human from the house himself. Mercedes nodded her agreement, the last he saw of her before the bedroom door closed. Mercy waited until. Godric had at least given them the illusion of privacy before rounding on her brother.

"Okay, what the hell is going on here? He was dead!"

"And now he's not. I don't know exactly what happened. But he won't hurt Ava and I resent the accusation that I would invite anyone into my home that would!"

"Oh God, Mercy, open your eyes! You've always had blinders on when it comes to him! How do you know this isn't some kind of trick?"

"I'm not having this conversation with you now."

"Oh yes we are having this conversation! You let that bloodsucker into the house with my kid!"

He wasn't expecting the slap to the face, and stepped back from the sting of the impact. He couldn't believe Mercy had actually hit him. He looked at her, stunned, as she stared at him coldly.

"That 'bloodsucker', as you call him, is the reason I'm able to take care of your kid without making you send any kind of child support. He's the reason Ava can go to the school she does, and the reason she can do all those activities and things you want her to do. And don't forget that he's the reason you had all the same things when I took you in after your mom died!"

"Mercy—"

"I am done putting up with your bullshit, Ethan. The world doesn't owe you something because you got a raw deal! You're not entitled to a fortune because a vampire that you hate thought well enough of me to leave me one! And you will NOT hand the responsibility of taking care of your daughter over to me and the question the manner in which I do it! Just because you hate vampires is not reason enough for me to do the same, or deny my home to one who's been part of my life longer than you have. If you can't accept that, then you can get the hell out and not come back, because I will not sit by and let you teach Ava to hate blindly like you apparently do."

"I don't hate anyone blindly! Vampires killed Ashley!"

"Ashley died because she was drug addict and she overdosed on a drug. If it wasn't V, then it would have been the cocaine she was doing before that. And that's on her, not vampires."

This was her night for telling people off. First Eric, then Godric, and now Ethan. She was tired of it. In a way it was a relief to finally say some of the things that needed to be said, but it left her exhausted. She didn't like being so mean. It was a relief when Ethan left the house without another word.

Feeling drained, she let the dogs out for the last time, and started turning out the lights. It wasn't like Eric would need them to see when he returned, and if he wanted to turn them on he knew how to do so (assuming he didn't find more entertaining company to pass the hours until dawn). Once the dogs were in she stuck the spare key under the welcome mat.

"Godric."

She didn't need to call loudly; he was beside her instantly when she spoke barely above a whisper.

"I need you to write Eric a note. In Swedish."

Once she went to be she wasn't planning on leaving it for anything short of an emergency. And letting Eric in definitely did NOT count as an emergency. She taped the note to the door before locking it and setting the alarm.

"I've only caused you more grief," Godric said quietly as she turned to face him. She shook her head.

"Ethan's problems are his own. You're not the cause."

"I abandoned you. And Eric. I—"

"I certainly can't hate you for that when you can't even remember why you did it."

It wouldn't do any good to stay mad at him for it, when he wouldn't know the reasons. She'd decide that about ten minutes after she'd hit him. Though hitting him had certainly been cathartic for her.

"Mercedes—"

Without another word he was on her, arms around her body to lock her into place as he assaulted her mouth with his own. He needed this, after all that had occurred this night. He needed Mercedes; their connection, their intimacy. He needed to bury himself in the warmth of her body, and make amends in the oldest language possible for all the pain he'd caused her. As soon as he determined that she was responding to his unspoken request with equal ardor, he held her tight and moved to the bedroom in a blur of movement.

TB-TB-TB-TB-TB

Her alarm went off at 7:30, a precaution against Ava getting up before her and walking in on something she shouldn't see. Mercy blinked in surprise as she sat up; Eric's hand was tangled in a lock of her hair. She wasn't a terribly deep sleeper, so how had she slept through the Viking climbing into her bed? Oh dear Lord, if he saw her naked….

Not wanting to follow that train of thought, she pulled free from Godric, who'd left plenty of room to free herself, and climbed out of the bed. After a mad dash to her lingerie drawer, she shut herself into the bathroom for a quick shower. By 8:00 she was shutting the two vampires in for the day and letting the dogs out, before padding out to the living room to check whether Ava had gotten up yet. She made it down the hallway to see the little girl stumbling out of her room. Good. She wasn't in danger of running into Godric or Eric. Mercy was surprised Ava was already dressed.

"Did Mr. Godric leave?" she asked sleepily.

"He has to sleep during the day, Ava," Mercy reminded the young girl.

"Oh! I'm hungry."

Mercy was hungry too. It had been a long time since supper, and Godric had been very active last night. She wondered at the odds that Ethan would really show up with donuts. Or if he would show up at all. She had kind of given him an ultimatum before he left; he might decide to stay away and cool off. If he didn't come, Ava would be crushed.

She had just pulled out the griddle and all of the ingredients for pancakes when she heard a knock on the front door. She opened it to see Ethan standing on the other side, holding a box of Krispy Kreme donuts.

"They're still hot," he said by way of greeting. Mercy looked from his face to the donuts. He looked a little worn out, not to mention unhappy at even being on the doorstep, but he'd come, and Mercy wasn't one to turn down hot Krispy Kreme. She took the box from him and headed for the kitchen, and plates. The dogs barked to be let back in, but Mercy was determined to eat her donuts in peace. Krispy Kreme was not to be wasted on a dog. She was surprised when Ethan followed her in.

"Look, you were right. It's your house, and I don't have any right to tell you who you can invite in. Just be careful, okay? Godric might not hurt Ava, but that doesn't mean someone else won't and I don't want to take the chance that unlike you, she can be glamoured. This is my little girl we're talking about."

"And I get that, Ethan, but you have to trust me."

"I do trust you. It's them I don't trust. But I'll try to keep my mouth shut."

It was the closest thing to an apology she was going to get. She'd take it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They were in the back yard when the barking of the dogs alerted Mercy that something was off. The sound of cars pulling into the driveway, and then doors opening and closing, confirmed it. Mercy climbed to her feet and walked around to the fence. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw who arrived. Oh HELL no. No way was she letting these people into her house. She stalked around to the back door.

"What's going on?"

"Just keep Ava out here, Ethan. Don't let her in the house."

She didn't give any further explanation before going inside. Brutus and Nero followed her, and she was okay with that. If they didn't get the hint to leave, she would sic the dogs on them. She stopped by her bedroom, ignoring the unconscious vampires as he headed for the closed and the gun safe. Forget the pistol; she was pulling out the shotgun.

The doorbell started ringing as she walked through the hallway, loading shells. She could hear a feminine voice talking about how charming the house was, and how nice the grounds looked. And—yes, that was Preston Harper with them. Really, she might just shoot him to save herself some grief. The dogs were parked at the door barking, and she gave them a soft command to hush. Once the shotgun was loaded she opened the door and brought it up, taking aim at Steve Newlin and his cronies.

"Whoa now!"

"Get off my property."

"You are one hard to reach lady, Miss Wright."

No doubt the smile that accompanied that was meant to be charming, but Mercy found it just made her itch to pull the trigger.

"That would be because I have nothing to say to you. There's no offer you can make that I would ever consider. Now get off my property before I shoot you."

"Now let's all be reasonable, Miss Wright. This house is the perfect location for our conference center, and in accepting my very generous offer, you will not only have more than enough to set up comfortably in a new home, you will be paving the way for the Lord's work, may His Holy Light shine upon you."

Mercy heard more than enough. She took aim at the ground and pulled the trigger, the shell making impact just an inch from Steve Newlin's feet. She raised the shotgun and took aim again, this time shooting just above his head. The shrieks of Sarah Newlin the background were amusing, to say the least, as Mercy calmly reloaded.

"My next shot goes somewhere in between, Newlin. I will give you ten seconds to get in your car and get off my property before I pull the trigger. And if you ever come back again, you won't get a warning."

"I think we're getting off to a bad start."

"Ten," Mercy started counting as she lifted the shotgun again, "Nine. Eight. Seven."

Everyone started scrambling for the cars when they saw that she was serious. She kept the shotgun raised until both cars backed out of her driveway and took off down the street.

"Did you really just pull a shotgun on Steve Newlin?" Ethan asked as Mercy turned around. Of course they would ignore her order and come running when they heard the shots.

"Yes I did."

"Remind me never to piss you off."


	10. Ethan

**Nine Years Earlier**

Godric wondered just how long Vincent could continue repeating himself on the subject of taxes. The debate had already taken the better part of the night, with all of the Sheriffs weighing in with their opinions, but Vincent seemed unable to stop speaking. It was not so difficult a concept-either place a tax on the vampires in their area or don't. What use Vincent, or the Authority if he was to be believed, meant to make of the funds Godric did not know, but it was not so hard a decision.

Isabel gave him a barely perceptible nudge as his attention waned yet again. This meeting was to have ended over an hour ago. Mercedes was due to visit the nest, and only Stan would be there for her arrival. That was not a situation Godric was willing to leave her in. Stan might be fully aware of the consequences should he attack Mercedes, but that didn't mean he wouldn't seize such an opportunity.

It did not aid things to feel Mercedes' emotion at this time. His human was currently in the midst of a feeling he could only call betrayal. She was hurting, and at the moment he could do nothing to fix it. IF Vincent did not reach a conclusion soon, he may just be forced to walk out on this ridiculous excuse for a meeting.

"Godric!" Isabel hissed, thankfully muted by the King's droning. No one heard the woman chastise her Sheriff. He sent a dark glare her way before turning his head to at least pretend to pay attention.

"Call Stan, and make sure he has not harmed Mercedes," he ordered her quietly. If the younger vampire had attacked, Godric would rip him apart. Isabel disappeared to do as he ordered, and returned only a minute later, resuming her seat beside the younger looking vampire.

"Mercy is not at the nest."

He frowned minutely. She should have been there by now. That she wasn't, and was feeling that hurt, was cause for concern. Would Vincent just shut the hell up already? He was beginning to consider ripping out the younger vampire's fangs.

As soon as the interminable meeting was over, he sped to Mercedes' home. Isabel could handle the business of the nest without him tonight. His business was with Mercedes, and whatever had caused her to feel so hurt. He would allow NOTHING to harm his human.

He could feel her, inside the house. She didn't feel threatened, or scared, which was good. Her feelings had mostly translated to stunned disbelief, and anger. He didn't think she had been physically harmed. Nor could he detect anyone else in the house. He opened the door cautiously and stepped inside, hoping he didn't walk in on anything indecent.

"Mercedes?"

He found her in the kitchen, seated at the table, her cordless phone in her hand. She didn't look up when he entered, but he saw tears making a path down her cheeks, and his fangs dropped.

"Mercedes?"

Moving too quickly, he pulled out a chair and sat beside her. She was startled from her thoughts when he removed the phone from her hand.

"Godric? What are you doing here?"

"I could feel you, Mercedes. And you did not come to the nest."

"Is it time already?"

He could see the shock on her face when she saw the clock on the oven. How long had she been like this?

"Oh crap. Godric, I'm sorry, I—"

"What is wrong, älskling?"

She started shaking her head, a gesture he couldn't fully understand.

"It's so ridiculous, it can't possibly be true, but—I mean—why would someone lie about something like this?"

"About what, Mercedes?"

She giggled hysterically, and Godric wondered whether he would have to shake some sense into her. He hoped not; he could easily harm her with his superior strength.

"I just got a call from Child Protective Services," she said when she could finally speak again, "And apparently my wonderful father, who loved his family so much, stepped out on my mom. I have a twelve year old half-brother, that I never knew about."

Godric could understand her actions better now. It must be devastating, to learn not only of her father's infidelity, but of the proof of that infidelity. What he failed to understand was why the child services agency would contact her at all. When he gave voice tot that question, she set off on another round of hysterical laughter.

"This is the good part. His mom just died, and I'm apparently his only living relative. They want me to take him, or he'll end up in foster care. How am I—how can they ask me to do that?!"

Would someone really be so cruel? To ask such a thing—to expect that a young woman should take in a sibling she was unaware of? Of course they were concerned for the welfare of the child, but did they give no thought at all to the other person involved? Was there justice in asking Mercedes to take on this new burden? If there was, he could not see it.

She started crying, and he pulled her into his arms. There was nothing he could do to solve this dilemma for her her. He could arrange for the child to be sent somewhere, but he couldn't glamour Mercedes into forgetting. Even if she never saw the child, she would always know that he existed.

"I'm sorry, älskling."

He was certain that after she'd had time to consider, she would agree to take the child. She wouldn't be able to simply ignore his existence, nor would her sense of obligation allow her to send him somewhere else. No, this previously unknown boy would be a part of her life, and by extension he would become a part of Godric's life as well. Gods help them all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Godric didn't know what he was expecting when he arrived at Mercedes' home, but the boy was a surprise. He looked nothing like Mercedes. Where she was pale, and clearly European, this boy's skin was darker than a simple tan, showing the addition of other races. Native, perhaps? He had the smooth, jet black hair that spoke of Native ancestry. Were there any Native groups near Dallas? Godric was unaware. He had run into a number of Natives during his years in the New World; they were even more distrusting of his kind than other humans. The boy stared at him sullenly, which he did his best to disregard.

"Who are you?"

'My name is Godric. I am a friend of your sister's."

"That girl is NOT my sister!"

"Who do you believe she is, then?" Godric asked curiously.

"I don't believe anything they told me. There's no way my dad was married to her mother. He was married to MY mom!"

He wished to feel some sympathy for the boy. The child had, after all, just lost his remaining parent, and last connection to the only life he knew. But Godric could feel Mercedes' pain quite strongly. His human was still reeling from the news of this child's life, and only barely hanging on to her control. And after opening her home to him, this boy dared to treat her with contempt and severe ingratitude. He gave no thought to whether he was hurting others when he lashed out.

"Silence boy!" Godric hissed as his fangs threatened to emerge. The boy glared at him defiantly, but he was in no mood to play the human's game. He took a single, threatening step forward, and watched with satisfaction when the child took a frightened step back.

"You will cease lashing out at your sister. You will remember that it was only her kindness that opened her home to you, and that without it you would not have a home, but would take your chances in the foster care system. You will never again show such disrespect to those taking care of you. Nod if you understand me."

It was gratifying to see how easily the child could be glamoured. That had taken no effort at all. Mercedes' immunity must come from her mother. Godric knew he wasn't losing his touch. The boy nodded, but said not a word.

"What's going on down there?" Mercedes asked as she made her way down the stairs, a horrified expression on her face when she saw the child standing in a stupor.

"Godric, tell me you didn't!"

"That would be a lie," he answered easily, "and I promised not to lie to you. The boy is unharmed. And now he will cause you no more problems."

It was a simple solution to a difficult situation. He felt no guilt about it, regardless of his human's wish that he did. He would not spend the years this child lived in this house listening to insults to his Mercedes. In his early years he would have simply drained the boy and been done with it.

"Godric, you can't glamour Ethan every time he makes you mad. He's a kid!"

"Would you rather I terrify him, instead? I can do so quite easily."

"Right, because that would be so much better!"

"Do you expect me to do nothing when he behaves so towards you?"

"I expect you not to overcook him!"

He looked at her in confusion, until she pointed to the boy, who was still standing, entranced. Perhaps he had gone slightly overboard. He released the boy's mind, and watched him hurry up the stairs, muttering something about creepy teenagers and cradle-robbing guardians. He would let that go.

TB-TB-TB-TB-TB

**Five Years Earlier**

"Are you kidding me?! How the hell could you be so irresponsible?!"

"Oh my God, Mercy, calm down! It's not the end of the world!"

"I know you did NOT just say that!"

Their yelling was within normal human volumes, but was excruciating to Godric's sensitive hearing when he entered Mercedes' home. His human's anger had been strong enough to rouse him from his day rest, and he'd had to wait hours until the sun went down so he could discover the cause. He was unsurprised to learn that Ethan was involved. As the boy had reached his teenage years, Godric found himself wanting to drain him on a regular basis.

"Mercedes?"

The boy stormed down the stairs, Mercedes hot on his heels.

"Don't you even think about leaving!"

Godric instantly blocked the door when it became apparent Ethan meant to do precisely that.

"You know, you've got no room to talk! Not when you're messing around with this guy! How old is he, anyway? He looks my age!"

Mercy glared at her younger brother, and Godric could see her hand flex as if she was suppressing the urge to smack the boy.

"First of all, I'm not messing around with anyone. Second, we're not talking about me, we're talking about you! Your summer camp girlfriend just had your baby, and you didn't even have the courtesy to tell me you knocked her up!"

"Fine! Mercy, I knocked up Ashley, and she just had my baby. Now if you don't mind, I'm going out with Sam and Mike. I'll be back late. Oh, and I need some gas money."

Godric was amazed the boy had the audacity to demand money after such an argument. How was it that the child had learned nothing of responsibility? If one of his subordinates had addressed him as Ethan just did Mercedes, he would have crushed them like a leaf.

"Oh, I don't think so. Sit your butt down, right now!"

Ethan rolled his eyes and turned around to see Godric still blocking the door.

"Get out of my way, Godric."

"No."

Ethan had outgrown Godric, and it was amusing to see the teen attempting to use his two inch advantage as a threat. He simply raised an eyebrow at the human.

"You can't stop me from leaving."

"Watch me."

Ethan sighed, then grabbed Godric by the arms, and tried to move him. Godric remained stubbornly immobile, even smirking at the boy.

"Your sister told you to sit down."

Ethan tried to shove him out of the way again, and this time Godric reacted. In a move too fast to be human, he freed himself of Ethan's grip and forced him into a seat on the couch.

"What the hell?!"

"Ethan, I've had just about enough or your attitude, and your sense of entitlement. That all ends now. You are responsible for that baby, and I'm not covering your ass on this. There is no more going out with your friends. There is no more asking me for money. That's all gone now. As of tomorrow, your highest priority after your education is finding a job. You WILL go to work, and you WILL start sending the majority of your pay to Ashley's mom to take care of that baby. And you WILL, as schedules allow, take care of that baby yourself as well."

"That's not fair! You can't make me do anything!"

"Watch me. You are a minor, and I am your legal guardian. You made a baby Ethan. It's not about you anymore, and it will never be about you again. And it's time you wake up to that fact. And you're grounded, by the way. Just in case that was unclear."

"This is bullshit!"

Godric had heard enough.

"Mercedes, if you could give us a moment."

"Godric, don't—"

"He will not be harmed. I give my word."

He would not harm the boy, as much as he might wish to, but he would see to it that this ended. The human's behavior would no longer be tolerated.

TB—TB-TB-TB-TB

**THREE YEARS EARLIER**

"A vampire!"

Mercy looked up from the papers scattered across the table, as Ethan stormed down the stairs. Kate looked up from her work, darting a glance between the two.

"He's a damn vampire! Isn't he?"

Well, she should have expected that Ethan would work that little fact out, once the Great Revelation happened. All anyone had talked about for the last three weeks was the fact that vampires were real.

"In point of fact he is," she answered calmly, "how very astute of you."

"Wait a minute. Who's a vampire?"

"Godric! That's why he's so fucking strong! And why he never seems to get older! You've had a damn vampire in this house!"

"It's my house, Ethan, and I'll invite who I please."

"Wait. You mean to tell me that the kid who hangs around you all the time is one of those bloodsucking monsters?!"

Kate looked at Mercy in horror. Mercy just rolled her eyes.

"How long have you known?"

"Now wait a minute, Ethan, she couldn't have know what he was! I'm sure she only just found out herself!"

"I've known since he first showed up on my doorstep, seven years ago."

"Mercy, how could you?"

"You knowingly let that monster near me?! You knowingly let him around your students?! Well that ends now, Mercy! I don't want that fanged bastard anywhere near this house, ever again!"

Mercy looked between the two of them briefly wondering if they'd planned to tag team her like this. She'd known it would be shock, but she'd hoped they would be more reasonable, and not jump to the worst possible scenario. Apparently that was too much to hope for. She decided to address Ethan first, as Kate was a minor concern.

"I'm waiting for the compelling reason you think you have any say in who I admit into MY house, Ethan. Or why you seem to think you can dictate who I see."

"This is my house too, Mercy!"

"Actually, it's not. It's mine, and mine alone. And I would remind you that as of"- she paused to look at the calendar on the wall—"four weeks from now you won't even live here anymore. You'll be at boot camp. So I'll say again, just what makes you think your orders matter?"

"He's got you under some kind of spell!"

Mercy snorted at Kate's declaration.

"No, I read an article about them in Cosmo! They can cast spells on people, and control their minds. That's what he's done to you!"

"Oh, for goodness' sake! Really, Kate? You really think he had me under some sort of spell for seven years? No. He's my friend, plain and simple. And I won't have either of you treating him differently when he gets here."

"He's coming here? Tonight?"

Kate jumped up from her seat and darted to the window, as if she expected him to magically appear outside. When she saw the yard was empty, but the sun setting, she returned to the table and started pushing her papers into a pile before shoving them unto her briefcase, and almost tossing her laptop in on top of them.

"Kate? Where are you going?"

"I am not staying here with some vampire roaming freely through your house! They're dangerous, Mercy! You can't trust someone who's just waiting for the right moment to suck out all your blood!"

"Oh come on, Kate! He's not waiting to suck out my blood."

"Of course he is, Mercy! That's all they want from us!"

Godric heard the argument the moment he reached Mercedes' porch. He was gratified that she defended him to her friend, and her brother. Their reactions, though disappointing, were not unexpected. He was still undecided as to whether the Great Revelation was a good thing. Humans feared them, and rightly so. No matter what agenda the newly formed American Vampire League spouted, there would always be those of their kind who saw humans as nothing more than animals, and would always treat them so.

Not wishing to delay the inevitable any longer, he opened the door and stepped inside.

"Mercedes?"

The loud crash in the dining room indicated that someone had dropped something, most likely her friend Kate. His opinion of that woman had never been terribly high, which he knew was mutual, but he expected that after tonight it would sink even lower.

"Mercy, I will see you tomorrow. In the daytime."

He heard someone gathering whatever had fallen, and he arrived in time to see Kate breeze past him without saying a word.

"I'm out of here, Mercy. I'm supposed to meet Sam and the guys at the movies. I'll probably be late getting in."

The boy at least ground out a greeting as he brushed past, which Godric only barely returned before the front door slammed shut. He looked to his human, to see how she was handling the situation. She looked a trifle upset, but not overly so.

"This Revelation has made things difficult for you."

She shook her head.

"No. This isn't anything surprising. They'll get over it, eventually."

"Perhaps I should not come to you so often."

It pained him to even think of not stopping by weekly to see her, but if his continued presence would cause problems….he knew that her brother and friend were right to worry. His position as Sheriff would only grow more dangerous as the hate groups developed, and they would. Humans always reacted with fear to what they didn't understand.

"Oh, so you plan on divorcing me, now that you're 'out of the coffin' so to speak?"

He froze. She knew—how did she know the significance of what he'd done? It was four years since he'd tricked her into presenting him with the blade that signified that she belonged to him. Had she known the entire time?

"You knew?"

"Isabel told me. It was a dirty trick, but I understood why you did it, which is why I didn't stake you for it."

"You are mine, Mercedes. I had to keep you safe from Vincent, and his court."

"Didn't I just say I understood why you did it? I meant it, Godric. But you try something that underhanded again, and I'll hurt you, husband or not."

He was sure she didn't completely understand. How could she? She remained immovably stubborn on the issue of becoming a vampire. Claiming her publicly was the closest he could currently get to his ultimate goal.

"The point here is that we've kept each other sane for the last seven years. You're not leaving me now just because my brother's an idiot. It wouldn't solve anything. Besides, he'll be gone to join the army in a month. So don't you even think of pulling out now."

He was so very relieved to hear her say that. His offer to leave had been made hastily, regretted the moment it left his lips. He would never be able to simply let her go. She was far too important to him by this time. Her brother, on the other hand-well, it was a good thing the annoying boy was leaving soon. It spared Godric having to hurt his human by ending her brother.


	11. Threats become reality, part 1

"Mercy, you have a visitor."

And Kate sounded entirely too happy about that fact. Mercy looked up from the papers on her desk to Kate standing in her doorway. Standing behind her was-Mercy mentally cursed.

"Was the shotgun really not warning enough for you?"

Sarah Newlin smiled brightly and sent Kate on her way with a thank-you. Mercy rolled her eyes at the perky smile suddenly directed her way.

"You know, it's been quite a job tacking you down Miss Wright. Especially since Mr. Harper said he wouldn't be able to help us anymore."

"And yet you still didn't take the hint," Mercy smiled tightly as she looked back at her desk, "I fired two shells at your husband not a month ago and you still came back for more."

"I wanted to apologize for Steve. He can be relentless for the Lord, and he has felt the calling to push forward with our new conference center. And God has led him to your home."

"Then Steve needs to go back and re-read his tea leaves, because God didn't give me that memo. My home is not for sale; it never was, and it is most definitely not for sale to the Fellowship of the Sun."

Sarah simply smiled at that and took several steps closer to Mercy's desk.

"This is a wonderful school. I know a lot of the parents who send their children here. When I asked about you, they absolutely sand your praises."

"That's always nice to hear, but if you don't have a point, now would be a good time to leave."

"God has something special for you, Miss Wright. I can tell. You could have an important role in the Fellowship. We need more people like you."

Mercy took a deep breath and muttered a quiet prayer for patience. If she prayed for strength, she'd deck the woman who seemed to have a love affair with clothes the same shade as her hair. It wouldn't be good to punch out Sarah Newlin in a school full of Fellowship attendees.

"Lady, your husband sent a suicide bomber into MY husband's nest, killing vampires and humans alike. I'm not sure what science fiction you're getting your gospel from, but MY God said not to commit murder. I don't' believe for a minute the God I love and worship would consider the atrocities you commit in His name to be anything but sacrilege. I will never join in your church, and I will see my house burned to the ground before I ever let one of your people set foot in it. Good day to you, Mrs. Newlin."

Sarah stared at her, speechless. Mercy returned her attention to the pile of work on her desk, and didn't look up until she heard the click of heels that indicated the other woman had left. This was turning into one heck of a day. Hopefully when they got home they would be able to Skype with Ethan. Ava had been having a hard time with her father being shipped to Kandahar, and the time zones weren't helping.

She wasn't terribly surprised when Kate came back not a minute after Sarah Newlin left. She'd probably been watching for the woman's departure from her own classroom.

"Did I hear you correctly, Mercy? Did you really pull a shotgun on Sarah Newlin?"

"No. I pulled a shotgun on Steve Newlin. Sarah just happened to be there when I did."

"How could you do such a thing? Reverend Newlin is a man of God!"

"Steve Newlin is a lunatic extremist, Kate. The man preaches hate and killing from the pulpit."

"The Newlins don't teach hate. They teach love for your fellow humans. You know it wouldn't hurt you to come with me one Sunday and hear it for yourself. You really need to get Ava into church."

"We already go to church, Kate. And my church doesn't preach that only humans should be shown God's love. I think Ava's much better off where we are thanks."

"Oh, Mercy. I wish you understood. The Newlin's are good people."

"Kate, you're my friend, so I really don't want to go full biatch on you, but we're never going to agree on this. Godric was a dear friend too, and Steve Newlin sent a suicide bomber to blow up my friend's house. That does not make him a good man in my eyes."

"Mercy—"

"Kate, for the sake of our twenty-six year friendship, leave it alone. Please."

Kate opened her mouth, and then closed it at the look on Mercy's face. Mercy was relieved when the woman left with no further comment. She had more important things to deal with. Like getting a five year old home and fed.

TB-TB-TB-TB-TB

"Mercy? Are you home?"

Isabel was here? That was unexpected. Mercy had only just gotten Ava tucked into bed after a long conversation with Ethan. She wasn't expecting any visitors. She hadn't seen Isabel since the night the Sheriff learned of Godric's return. Mercy unlocked the front door to admit the vampiress, who looked agitated.

"Isabel? What's wrong?"

"Someone saw Godric when he was here last week. Vincent knows he's back."

"Oh dear God, no."

"You need to leave. Tonight."

Wait a minute. What? Was she serious?

"Leave?"

"Mercy, I have no doubt that Vincent will come for you. Or send someone after you. You mustn't be here when he comes. Go to Godric. You will be safe outside of Texas."

Mercy couldn't believe it.

"Are you sure?"

"I am certain. I have friends inside Vincent's court. He is coming, so you must leave tonight."

She fought the panic threatening to set in. She couldn't afford to panic now; she had to take care of Ava. She wasn't surprised when her cell phone started ringing. Godric would no doubt have felt her terror. She answered it only long enough to toss the phone to Isabel, before heading to the closet to grab a bag. She would need to—

"There's no time for that!" Isabel hissed at her, "Take the child and go, now. Godric will meet you at the Texas border."

Oh God in heaven, this was really happening. Mercy left Isabel in the living room as she sprinted for Ava's room. The girl woke as Mercy lifted her out of bed.

"What-?"

"It's alright, baby, just go back to sleep. We have to take a little trip right now."

Isabel was waiting for her with her purse and keys in hand. She handed the child over to the vampire as she reached for the keys and shoved her cell phone into her pocket, calling for the dogs as she opened the front door. Isabel placed Ava in the car seat as Mercy ushered the dogs out before setting the alarm and locking the door. Both dogs jumped into the back, and in less than a minute Mercy was backing out of the driveway and tearing down the street.

She half expected to see Vincent bearing down on her as she flew down the highway. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out who could have seen Godric. And why would they wait a week to go to the King? None of it made any sense to her, but she knew without a doubt that Vincent would come after her. He would see her as the easiest way to get to Godric.

It was a tense drive towards the Texas border. She only pulled off the interstate when Ava woke up needing a restroom, and she needed gas. She was looking over her shoulder at every noise, worried that Vincent had managed to catch up with them. She nearly screamed when her phone rang, startling her. She ordered herself to calm down as she checked the Caller ID and saw that it was Godric.

"Where are you?"

She gave him the exit number and the gas station.

"Stay where you are. I will be there momentarily. I am not far."

Not far was relative for a man who could fly. Mercy wondered just how far away he was. To her surprise he arrived by the time she finished walking the dogs. He immediately pulled her into a tight hug, ignoring the animals now watching him.

"You're not hurt?"

"No. Isabel got us out of the house before anyone showed up. We're fine."

He was grateful to Isabel for coming to warn his human of the danger. If Mercedes had not been able to evacuate the house before this Vincent showed himself-he shuddered to think what might have happened.

"Come. I will drive the rest of the way."

With his supernatural abilities, he could get them to Shreveport, and the haven of Eric's house, much faster and safer. He didn't give her the chance to object, instead escorting her to the passenger seat of her car and putting the dogs in the back. As he slid into the driver's seat and started the engine, he noticed Ava staring at him. Surprisingly, she didn't look overly frightened. She looked as if she knew there was trouble, but trusted the adults to make everything better. He hoped Mercedes had that same trust in him.

They made it to Eric's home in record time with Godric behind the wheel. They arrived to find Heather standing in the doorway. Mercy woke from her light sleep to see the unknown vampire standing in front of a large house.

"We're home, Mercedes."

She ignored his word use. After all, it was his home. She just worried that now she was here, he might not let her leave, and that had to be a minor concern at the moment. There were bigger problems at play. She slid out of the car and stretched before opening the back door to let the dogs out. Godric retrieved a sleeping Ava before she could get to that side of the car, and guided the humans to the house.

"This is Heather. She works for Eric. Heather, please make certain Pamela knows that Mercedes and the child are our welcome guests for the foreseeable future."

He could hear the complaints of Eric's progeny coming from inside the house. He would not stand for her repeating such things in front of Mercedes. He also knew that she could hear him perfectly well, and would take the warning for what it was. Heather simply nodded her agreement and offered to take the dogs off Mercedes' hands as Godric led them inside.

As he took in the exhaustion on Mercedes' face, Godric decided a full tour would have to wait. He settled for pointing out the kitchen before taking them upstairs. The rooms occupied by vampires were acknowledged so that Mercedes and Ava could avoid them during the day. He could not keep them locked up while he and Eric slept. Once that was accomplished, he opened the door to a room large enough to hold two king sized beds. This room contained its own bathroom, which made it safer. They wouldn't chance running into Pamela or any other vampires that might show up too close to sunrise while looking for a restroom. Godric laid the sleeping child in one of the beds. Fortunately, she didn't even stir.

"Hopefully she'll sleep until morning."

"You should rest as well."

She was practically asleep on her feet, but she shook her head.

"I need to figure out something for the dogs, and I've got to start making calls, and—"

Godric silenced her by placing a finger to her lips.

"Those things will be taken care of, Mercedes. You should rest."

He would have liked to join her, but she was in great need of sleep, and sleep was the last thing on his mind. She would not allow anything else, not with Ava sleeping in the next bed. Mercedes made no further objections, and he put her to be as he did Ava, even going so far as to kiss her on the forehead after removing her shoes. He closed the door and settled in Eric's office to await his child's return once the bar closed. He would not leave Mercedes alone in this nest.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mercy woke, momentarily disoriented at the absence of any natural light. It was much too dark; darker even than her bedroom at home when it was light-tight. And this wasn't her bed. Her sheets weren't satin. Oh. Right. She was in Eric's house. This was one of the Viking's guest rooms, and Ava was in the other bed. Using the dim light provided by the night light tucked in a corner; Mercy was able to locate a bedside table that held a lamp. It felt like a touch lamp; she couldn't find a knob to turn.

Eric really had his house up-to-date on the technology; one touch of the lamp base and the room was flooded with artificial light as all of the lights in the room activated. Someone had done an excellent job of getting the lighting to mimic real sunlight. She could almost get a tan under these lights.

In the next bed Ava was stirring, which brought to mind the practical necessities. Ava was wearing a Beauty and the Beast nightgown and had no other clothes to change into thanks to their impromptu evacuation. Not even a clean pair or panties. Mercy didn't have anything to change into either, and she couldn't' go around in the same clothes she'd been wearing, not in a nest of vampires.

First, though, they had to see if there was any food in this nest. She very much doubted that Eric had regular human guests over. The fact that the house had a kitchen didn't guarantee there was any actual food in it.

"Come on Ava. Let's see if there's any food in here."

She had to tug the child out of bed and herd her to the bathroom. It looked like today was going to be a challenge, with all the upheaval of the night before. After a struggle to comb out the child's hair with her small purse comb, Mercy finally got her into the kitchen. She was shocked to see a large man sitting at the table drinking coffee, glaring at Eric.

"Shouldn't you be in bed? You've got the bleeds."

"I'm aware. Mercy Wright, this is Alcide. He'll go with you while you go shopping today, to get whatever you and the teacup human need. There will be no argument on this."

She wanted to argue just on principle, but managed to stay quiet. After all, there was a reason she was in Shreveport, and while they should be safe outside of Texas, who could really tell? She just hoped that if anyone did show up, this Alcide would be a match for them.

"Lucky you, Alcide. You get to spend the day shopping for kid's clothes. Do you actually have anything to eat in here, or do we have to go out for that too?"

"Unless the child likes leftover Thai takeout, you should probably get something while you're out."

Mercy wasn't surprised by that declaration.

"Alright. Ava, let's get you something to eat, huh?"

At the girl's nod, she collected her purse, keys and phone from the kitchen counter where she'd deposited them.

"Um—where are my dogs?"

"My day man is walking them, a task he's competent to handle. Worry about yourself and the girl for now."

"Find. Alcide, are you ready to play bodyguard?"

At the large man's nod, she herded Ava out the door. When Alcide would have followed, Eric made him pause with a simple warning.

"If you let anything happen to her, you won't be dealing with me. You'll be dealing with Godric."

The wolf paled, but nodded his understanding. He didn't know what was so special about this human and her kid, but he would protect them. Dealing with Eric Northman was bad enough. He wasn't fool enough to tangle with Godric.

Eric waited until they were all out of the house to return to the room he shared with his maker. It had been pure instinct to move Godric in with him when he first came to Shreveport, after an eight month void. After it became clear his maker wasn't going anywhere, it was simply habit to share a bed. He was surprise to see Godric was still awake.

"You should be out."

"You let Mercedes leave the safety of the nest."

It had taken every ounce of his control to not rush to the kitchen and haul his human back in answer to the continued threat.

"The wolf will keep her safe. We couldn't very keep her locked up, unless you wanted to chain her to a bed."

Godric knew Eric was right. It wouldn't have been difficult to keep Mercedes in with him if she was alone, he would simply fuck her into exhaustion, but with the child….better to let her go, protected, than to try to keep them all prisoner.

"You saw to it that she has enough money?"

Eric rolled his eyes. The woman had billions of dollars on her own now, yet Godric was worried she wouldn't have funds.

"I gave the wolf a credit card. They'll be fine. Although she'll probably want my head when she gets back."

"What have you done, Eric?"

The Viking avoided the question.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

"You have lost your ever-loving mind if you think I'm going in there!"

Mercy stood outside the store, a glare on her face for the sheepish-looking Alcide.

"I'm under orders to make sure you get your-um-personal things here."

"You can shove those orders where the sun doesn't shine! I'm not going to Victoria's Secret!"

She just knew that Eric was behind this. Godric wouldn't suggest such a thing. The Viking was in for it when she got back.

"He said if you don't get something from here, he'll order you something from Frederick's of Hollywood, and it won't be as tasteful as what you'll find in this store."

"Oh, I just bet he did."

In horror, she looked again at the famous store, with its mannequins in the windows too scantily dressed. She was really expected to go in there, and spend money on their flimsy excuses for underwear? Even worse, she was expected to wear this stuff in front of Godric? What could Eric possibly be thinking?

"I'm just gonna take Ava to the toy store while you shop," Alcide announced, interrupting her internal rant, "it's just two doors down. Yell if you run into any trouble. I'll hear you."

He handed her the platinum credit card, and she watched, slack-jawed, as Alcide walked Ava down to the toy store. She waited until they disappeared inside to turn back to stare down her nemesis. Steeling herself, she marched inside. The sooner she got this over with, the sooner she could get the heck out of there and go back to Eric's nest.

"How can I help you today," the sales clerk asked brightly.

"I'm going to need to see the nicest, most expensive lingerie you have. And I'll need to see a lot of it."

Half an hour later, Mercy walked out of the store, loaded down with bags full of pink boxes. Alcide and Ava were standing outside, waiting for her, and it was that man's turn to stare slack-jawed as she returned the credit card.

"Do I want to know how much you spent?"

"As much as I possibly could, which still wasn't enough in my opinion. Now Ava, what do you say to a movie and then some food before we go back to Mr. Eric's house?"

Alcide just shook his head but accepted two bags uncomplaining. He wasn't about to try to argue with the woman. He knew better than to interfere with a grudge-holding female bent on a little payback. He was just glad he wouldn't' be in Eric Northman's shoes when they got back to the nest.

They were halfway through their dinner when Alcide smelled it—another Were. He straightened in his seat, sniffing as he looked around. It wasn't anyone he recognized. He was passingly familiar with most of the Shreveport pack; enough to recognize them when he ran into them. This was no one he knew. They smelled more feline than canine; it was no wolf. Maybe that should have been reassuring, but after dealing with his old pack in Jackson, it wasn't. Who was to say that some other Weres might not work for a vampire? He'd already seen that 'wolves did. As he watched, the Cat twitched, and turned to stare straight at him.

"We need to go, now."

Mercedes looked up at him, her eyes wide. He didn't have time to explain; he just pulled out his wallet and tossed sixty dollars on the table.

"It's time to leave."

When the woman sat, frozen, he stood to his feet and picked up the kid. She was quick to follow once he started moving. They made their way out of the mall and back to the car in record time. Alcide didn't relax his pace. He could still smell the Were, and he was following them. At least it seemed to be alone.

"Alcide, what's going on?"

He didn't answer her. He just pushed her into the back seat of the car and handed the kid to her, tersely ordering her to get buckled in. He didn't see anyone on the road as he drove, but that didn't matter. If they were followed to the parking lot, the Were could have seen her car. He remained tense and alert the entire drive back to Northman's nest.

It was only just growing dark when they arrived, and Mercy couldn't help but look for Godric. She saw him standing just inside the doorway, out of the sun's last rays as she and Ava were rushed inside. She had no idea what had Alcide so spooked at the mall that they had to run out as they did, but the look he gave Godric as he ushered them inside was intense, full of meaning. The adolescent-looking vampire nodded, serious and deadly.

"You are unharmed, yes?" Godric asked as he began checking her over for injuries. Mercy just nodded as she watched Eric's human employee—had he called him a day man?—retrieve their bags from the trunk. She saw Godric's eyebrows rise to his hairline as he took in the Victoria's Secret bags, and he fixed her with a smoldering look.

"I see you've been busy today."

"That reminds me; you may be down one progeny before the nights over. I'm going to murder Eric."

He smiled at that, even as he mentally pictured her wearing some of her purchases. This must be what Eric was alluding to this morning. He would have to make sure to thank his progeny later, after Mercedes put the child to bed (and perhaps convince her to model some things for him).

They were joined shortly by the Viking, who only smiled at the glare on Mercy's face. His focus was on the wolf who'd played bodyguard for the day. He hated to admit that Alcide was handy to have around.

"What happened?"

"Spotted another Were at the mall. It wasn't anyone I recognized. Smelled like a Cat. And he seemed unusually interested in us."

"Are you sure it wasn't just a random encounter?"

"I'm sure. If it was just a chance meeting—there was no reason for him to follow us. And I could smell him behind us all the way to the parking lot."

"Did they see which car was hers?"

"It's possible, but I'm not sure."

"Then we must act as if they did. We must assume the worst, until we can prove otherwise."

Clearly, Mercy was missing something. Nothing Alcide said made any sense to her, but Godric apparently understood it. What was this "Were" business they were talking about? Did she really want to know? She quite liked Alcide Herveaux, and once you knew something, it couldn't be unknown.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of Eric's cell phone. The conversation was too quick for Mercy to understand what was being said, but from the look on Eric's face, it wasn't good.

"Wolf, take the humans to your home. Now."

"What?!"

The exclamation came from both Mercy and Alcide. Godric looked between the two of them, and then looked to his child.

"Eric?"

"That was Compton's progeny. Vincent is at the King's home. It's only a matter of time before he comes here. If he actually attacks the nest—"

Godric successfully suppressed a shudder. The idea of Vincent attacking a Sheriff's nest, outside of his own territory, was almost unthinkable. But he'd obviously followed Mercedes here. It should be unthinkable that he should pursue her so far. And he'd gone to the King of Louisiana. Gods only knew what lies he would tell Compton to try to sanction his actions.

"Mercedes, you must go. You will be safer with Mr. Herveaux if Vincent does come here."

Mercy paled. Vincent had followed them? What could he possibly want?

"Why can't he just leave us alone?"

They were supposed to be safe when they reached Louisiana. Vincent wasn't supposed to follow them once they left Texas. They were out of his territory.

"I don't know, Mercedes. But I will not allow him to harm you. Now go. Take your truck, Mr. Herveaux. Hopefully it won't be recognized."

Alcide nodded, and herded Mercy and Ava to the door. Mercy looked back at Godric as she was pushed in the opposite direction, to see that he was staring solely at her. She let Alcide manhandle her into his truck—he was a contractor? It fit him—and held tightly to Ava, since no one had bothered to remove the booster seat from the car before taking this unexpected side trip. She darted a glance at Alcide as he drove, and had to do a double take. His eyes were glowing yellow! That was not normal.

"Okay, so I didn't understand half of what was said back there, and I would love an explanation. You kept using the word 'Were' and Eric you 'wolf'."

She heard him growl under his breath.

"I really just need you to tell me that the conclusion I'm coming to is wrong, and I'm imagining things, because it really sounds like you're talking about werewolves."

"You're not imagining things," Alcide ground out.

She wasn't imagining things? She wanted to bank her head on the window and wake up from this Twilight Zone.

"Werewolves. I assume you are—"

He nodded.

Lovely. Well heck, why not? If vampires are real, why shouldn't werewolves be real? Why couldn't any number of other mythical creatures be real?

"So why is this vamp after you?" Alcide asked the question he'd been dying to ask all day.

"He's after me because the easiest way to hurt Godric would be to get me. Vincent has always been afraid of how powerful Godric is. Now that he knows Godric's alive, he's even worse."

He glanced over at her. He could tell there was more to the story, but didn't push. Mercy appreciated that. She thought she just might scream, or smack him, if he pushed right now.


	12. Threats become reality, part 2

Alcide pulled the truck to a stop in front of a two story house. He looked over to see that Mercy had nodded off. It could only be stress; they hadn't driven that far. No, scratch that, she was awake. He saw her wince, as if in pain.

"You okay over there?"

"Aunt Mercy gets headaches sometimes."

"Migraine?" he asked softly. He could sympathize. He'd gotten them a time or two himself.

"Alright then, little one, how about you come with me, and then I'll come back for your aunt?"

He removed Ava from the truck as quickly and quietly as he could. Debbie met him at the door for the handoff, and he went back to the truck for Mercy. She moaned as he lifted her, and he carried her into the house as quickly as possible. Thankfully Debbie had already turned down the bed in one of the guest rooms and killed the lights. He laid the hurting woman on the bed, and Debbie was quick to lay a cold rag across her forehead and remove her shoes.

"Is there anything else we can do for you?" the she-wolf whispered, kneeling down beside the bed.

"Ava—"

"We'll take care of Ava, don't you worry. You just get some rest."

Mercy didn't answer, instead curling up into a ball. The two werewolves left her alone, closing the bedroom door. Debbie waited until a final check on Ava revealed that the girl had fallen asleep to say anything.

"I thought we were staying out of vampire business. That woman absolutely reeks of vamps!"

Alcide started to speak, and then stopped. Debbie was right; he'd sworn off doing favors for vamps. He wanted to argue with her, and tell her this wasn't like the last time with Sookie."

"This ain't like the last time, Debbie."

"Oh really?"

"Really. Mercy's not Sookie. This woman isn't going around looking for trouble."

"But she's still in trouble, Alcide! And we don't need trouble!"

That much he could agree with. He had enough issues, with the local pack sniffing around. He'd expected to have some interest from the local pack when he moved to Shreveport, but they should be done with their BS by now. It should be obvious he had no interest in the pack, and that he planned to leave them alone. But that was neither here nor there. He'd agreed to help Mercy and the girl stay safe tonight, and that was what he was going to do.

"From what I hear, it ain't her fault she's in trouble. And all we have to do is keep them here tonight. Those vamps didn't ask for anything else."

"And if the local pack come by while this house smells like a vamp? How do you know she's not some V-head?"

"Because the vamp she's bonded to wouldn't stand for it. And there's no reason for the pack to be around here now. It'll be fine, Debbie."

He didn't want to talk about Mercy, or vampires, anymore. He was tired. He just wanted a quick nap before it was time to keep a serious watch for anyone coming. He hoped Godric was right, and that they were safe here. He hoped he wasn't lying to Debbie when he told her they would be fine. Things were finally going well for them.

TB-TB_-TB-TB

Godric could feel Mercedes' pain as the truck drove further away. He placed the blame for her agony squarely on Vincent's shoulders. Stress was the most common trigger for her migraines. He doubted she'd had any of that dangerous human medication on her, and she was too far away for him to give her blood. He wouldn't risk leading Vincent to her.

"Godric?"

"She is in pain, and I can't help her. If this Vincent does come here, I will tear him to pieces for causing this."

"Pain?"

"A migraine. They've almost always been caused by such stress as this."

"You remember that?"

Did he remember it?

_Excruciating pain rolled across the bond he shared with Mercedes. He'd only felt this pain once before. If it was this painful for him, it must be nearly debilitating for her. Hopefully she would be less stubborn this time and allow him to give her his blood._

_She was already in bed when he arrived at the house the moment his business was done. Picking her lock was no difficulty, and he easily let himself inside. It pained him to see her lying under the pillows, curled up to shut out the world._

"_Mercedes?"_

_He didn't dare speak above a whisper, not when even that made her shudder. He quickly shed his shirt and slid into the bed, pulling her against his cold skin. It had helped last time._

"_Take my blood, Mercedes."_

_When she didn't object, he knew she must be in excruciating pain. He gently tipped her head up before biting into his wrist and offering it to her. She took little more than a mouthful, not nearly enough in his opinion, but she took it willingly._

"I remember it. Small things are beginning to return."

"That's good."

"I remember the night I made you."

He could feel Eric staring at him, as he kept his gaze fixed on the skyline. He was sure he could not have said anything better guaranteed to stun his child into silence, if only for a moment. He knew how much it hurt his progeny that he had no memories of their time together.

Whatever answer Eric might have made was interrupted by his phone ringing again. He answered it, keeping the conversation short, before ending the call and shoving the phone in his pocket. He returned to Godric's side, now agitated.

"Vincent and Compton are both on their way over."

Godric nodded his acceptance. At least it would be settled soon, one way or another.

"Godric—"

"Yes, Eric?"

He turned to his Viking when Eric did not continue.

"I—I would welcome Mercy as a sister, and mother. She would make a fine vampire."

"I rather doubt she would agree with that opinion."

"She would get over it. You can't plan to leave her human and let her grow old and die."

Godric said nothing. He no longer knew what he planned for Mercedes. He'd intended to turn her when he first came back, before she'd evicted him from their home. But now that he knew of the child she was raising? Ava was only five years old. If he turned Mercedes now, she would never forgive him for it, but if he waited until the child reached adulthood, Mercedes would be fifty years old. The difference in physical age wouldn't bother him in the slightest, but it would very much bother his human. He knew she had great difficulty with the difference between them now, when it was only fifteen or so years.

"I could turn her," Eric offered. He would happily do it if it would keep his maker whole and sane. Mercy could hate him all she wanted, but it would be done. Then Godric would have her forever. He need not worry that his maker might choose to meet the sun again when his human died.

"I would not ask that of you."

Godric appreciated the offer, more than he could ever say. But he knew how protective Eric was of his Pamela. He would be just as protective of any progeny he created, including Mercedes. It would kill Erick to turn her and then give her up, and it would end up causing a rift that might well be irreparable. No, if Mercedes was turned, Godric would have to do it himself.

"You should send Heather and any others away. There's no need to involve anyone else in this."

"You expect fighting?"

That would be a definite change for Godric; much more Godric as he had been.

"I wish to avoid bloodshed is possible. But Vincent pursued a human across territorial lines. I doubt he will accept anything less than full confrontation. And if he wishes a fight, I will oblige him."

They waited, tense and ready, as two vampires showed up in the driveway. Godric recognized, from Eric's description, the current King of Louisiana. Bill Compton looked familiar, but it was the other vampire who had Godric's attention. This fair-haired man was Vincent, King of Texas and the reason Mercedes was forced to flee her home. They both looked surprised that Eric stood on the porch, waiting for them. Did they assume that Eric would not be home? Was that why they chose to come when they did?

"Godric?"

Compton sounded surprised to see him. Was he yet another vampire who knew of his meeting the sun? Godric could think of no reason he would know this vampire, but it seemed that Compton knew him.

"But—Sookie said—"

"A fiction, so that Isabel's transfer to authority would be smoother, and so that he might leave Texas unmolested," Eric lied smoothly. Godric was thankful for his child's quick mind. He had no knowledge of this Sookie that Bill Compton spoke of."

"Eric lies!" Vincent hissed, "If that's true then why didn't you know he was in your territory?"

"I only recently arrived to visit my child. I have not yet decided whether to remain and give allegiance here," Godric was quick to answer. He did not believe that Compton would openly challenge him, not if his character was anything like Eric said. He was proven correct when the younger vampire only nodded his head in acceptance.

"Should you choose to settle here, Godric, Louisiana would be honored to have you. But I'm afraid we're here on rather serious business. Vincent claims that you're housing a necromancer who ran from his territory last night."

Eric glared at the blonde haired king. That was the best he could come up with?

"Vincent is mistaken. There's no necromancer."

"I hope you understand that we must verify that ourselves."

"Go right ahead. But hurry it up, please. I do need to get back to Fangtasia some time tonight."

Eric let the two precede him into the house. He could see Vincent's disappointment as they checked room after room, only to find them empty. The fact that there was no heartbeat in the house should have been evidence enough, but like Godric he enjoyed any opportunity to make Vincent look like a fool.

"This room reeks of humans. The whole house does."

"I have human employees."

"Do human employees roll round in your sheets?" Vincent challenged.

"They do when I decide to fuck one of them, or when Pam brings a human home from the bar."

"You're lying."

Eric's fangs dropped, and he took a single threatening step forward. King or not, he would not be challenged in his own home. Bill was quick to place himself between the two. It would look very bad for his rule if a fight between one of his Sheriffs and a neighboring King erupted in his own back yard.

"Eric!"

"The woman has been here, I can smell her! She's the one who brought Godric back!"

"You make baseless accusations!" Godric hissed, his words all the more threatening because they were said so quietly, "I have given explanation for my absence, and it is enough."

"It is not enough! You lie! You are a threat to all our kind, and as your king, it is within my authority to order your execution!"

The younger vampire either didn't notice Godric's own fangs drop, or he chose to ignore the threat, because he continued, "And when I find your little human, it will be the end of her too. I know she had something to do with this."

Godric launched into action without another word. It was one thing to threaten him, but to threaten Mercedes was another matter altogether. He ignored Compton's yelled warnings to stop. It didn't matter that Vincent was a king.

It was over all too quickly. Despite Vincent's attempts to fight back, Godric moved him through the house, slamming him onto the porch. He ignored the younger vampire's clawing at him, which drew blood, as he pinned him down. IT was all too easy to free a wrought-iron pole from the porch railing and shove it through Vincent's heart, staking him. He didn't even react to the blood and gore that now covered him, other than to have the passing thought that he would have to burn his clothes; there would be no saving them.

"Godric!"

He rounded on Compton, fangs still bared. If Compton also made a threat against Mercedes, he would die just as easily as Vincent. HE took in Eric only barely holding back his rage as the glared at his king, daring him to say something.

"I'll have this cleaned up. You should go get yourself cleaned before you go to Mercy."

Godric nodded his agreement and started pulling off his clothes. He could not retrieve Mercedes covered in Vincent's remains.

"Eric, this is not something that can simply be ignored," he heard Compton attempt to argue, "He just killed a neighboring king in my territory!"

"There will be no trace of it by dawn, Compton."

"That's hardly the point! I can't just let this go, Eric! If the Authority finds out-"

"Do what you must, Compton. It is of no concern to me," Godric surprised them both by saying. It was true. He didn't care what Compton did. Vincent might have been a King, but he was less than half Godric's age and he'd challenged him. Unless the Authority was composed entirely of newborn vampires, which he doubted, they would understand that it was intolerable to allow Vincent to live. There might be repercussions, but he was certain they would not be serious.

He left the two on the porch to continue their argument after tossing his clothes onto the ground. HE needed a shower, he needed to feed, and he needed to speak to Mercedes, in that order. After thinking, he would not retrieve her tonight, not when the child was likely already asleep. There had been enough upheaval this past twenty four hours.

He was surprised to see both Eric and Compton seated on the couch, True Bloods in hand, when he returned to the living room. He'd half expected to find that Eric had killed the younger vampire. The Louisiana king was certainly not someone his child enjoyed dealing with.

"The Authority will have to be informed of this," Compton said hesitantly after taking a long drink, "The loss of the Texas king isn't something that can be kept quiet. If it was just another vampire, I might be able to forget it ever happened, but—"

"Vincent issued a challenge. Godric won. The loser's rank is not at issue here."

"Except that as Godric's king, Vincent had every right to do so."

"He was Godric's king no longer! Godric is not a subject of the Texas territory! Vincent brought the fight to Godric, and he got what he deserved!"

"I doubt the Authority will see it that way, and I have an obligation as King of Louisiana to report it."

"You will wait until Mercedes is out of the territory."

It didn't matter if the Authority chose to come after him, but he would ensure that Mercedes was not involved. He did not care for the expression that crossed Compton's face.

"What have you done?"

"Nan Flanagan should be here before dawn. She was contacted as soon as we had reliable reports of a necromancer."

The young king shifted uneasily at the enraged elders before him. Godric fought the almost irresistible urge to tear Bill Compton limb from limb. Eric had explained who this Nan Flanagan was, and Godric had no liking for the woman. He thought Eric's description of her as an "undead bitch" was more than likely deserved. He himself saw only snippets of memory: soft blonde locks and pastel suits for the human public, and slicked back hair and black leather in private. And to be in such a position of power without even a millennium under her belt—no doubt she was ambitious and bloodthirsty.

"You did what?" his child hissed at Bill Compton.

"If I hadn't reported it and Vincent had gone to her, it would have meant all of our heads. I assured her it would be investigated and dealt with, but she insisted on coming."

"Of course she did. The bitch has had it out for me ever since the Fellowship incident. She'll be out for blood."

Of course she would. Godric was half tempted to go to the wolf's home, grab Mercedes and Ava, and take off before the woman could arrive. Or perhaps he would simply end her life tonight as well. HE looked over at the front door when it opened to reveal Pamela, carrying a bucket of bloody water.

"Heather's bleaching the porch now, and that brother of hers is disposin' of the remains."

"Good. Once that's done I want you all out of here. Stay somewhere else for the day."

"Eric, what's going on?"

"Just go, Pam. And take Heather and that fool brother of hers with you. I don't want you anywhere near this house until I summon you."

XXXXXXXXXXX

They were surprised when, less than an hour later, a car pulled into Eric's driveway, and Nan Flanagan climbed out. Eric had expected it to take much longer. Even more surprising was that Nan wasn't alone. She was followed out of the car by the Magister. The woman seemed to freeze when she saw Godric calmly waiting for her.

"I heard you'd died."

"Charming as ever, Nan. You shouldn't believe everything you hear."

He would not settle for this woman's intimidation attempts. She was less than half his age. If he had allowed such from her in the past, he didn't intend to repeat that mistake.

"Magister," Compton stood to his feet and addressed the man who had the authority to order the True Death to any vampire in North America, "I had not expected you to join Ms. Flanagan."

"Nor had I, until she mentioned the possibility of a necromancer. I was quite intrigued at the notion. Godric," he turned his attention from the Louisiana king, "it is good to see that the rumors of your demise proved to be false."

"Hello, Lucian. I am surprised you travel so far for a petty squabble."

His memories of the Magister were incomplete. They had known each other well over the missing millennium. Lucian was almost as old as he. It was possible he was older, since neither knew their true age. What he did not know yet was whether Lucian was friend or foe.

"Yes, well," Godric raised an eyebrow when Lucian actually sighed, "This one had her panties in a twist over the possibility of a necromancer, and Vincent's accusations. I thought it would be better if cooler heads prevailed. Where is Vincent?"

Lucian's eyes darted to Compton, the only one to shift uneasily at mention of the dead Texan. Godric wanted to shake his head in disgust. The younger vampire would never have survived a true inquisition.

"Mr. Compton, is there something you wish to say? Something concerning the whereabouts of the Texas king, perhaps?"

"And why this place smells like bleach?" Nan interjected, with a black look at the Magister for his earlier remark. Godric almost wished she would say something. He did not remember Lucian being known for his patience with young upstarts puffed up on their own self-importance, which fit Nan perfectly.

"I like to keep things clean," was Eric's smart remark.

"Watch it, Viking."

"Or what? You still don't have the authority to take my Area."

"Eric," Godric gently chided his progeny. The situation was volatile enough without intentionally antagonizing the woman. Lucian watched the scene, his expression deceptively passive.

"You still haven't answered the question. Where is Vincent? And I want to see this so-called Necromancer."

"There is no necromancer. Vincent was mistaken."

"Bring the 'supposed' necromancer to me. I'll decide that for myself."

"You'll decide nothing, Nan. I am the Magister here, in case you've forgotten."

"Of course, Magister. But the Authority is most interested in finding and putting an end to any necromancer. They will want a record of the interrogation."

"There will be no interrogation!" Godric hissed at the woman, "There is no necromancer!"

"Vincent wouldn't' be fool enough to make such a claim without reason!"

"Magister," he barely heard Compton attempt to interject over the roaring in his ears at Nan's threats to his human, "Vincent, like nearly everyone else, believed Godric to be truly dead. When he saw that was not the case, I believe he jumped to a too-hasty conclusion that a necromancer must somehow be involved. However, after a thorough investigation I have come to the belief that there is no basis for his claim."

"Let Vincent explain himself, Compton," Godric stiffened as Lucian interrupted the argument that threatened to boil into violence. "Where is Vincent? I still haven't received a satisfactory explanation for why he's not here."

"Vincent is no more," Godric finally answered. IT was pointless to prevaricate any longer. Nan Flanagan could be easily gotten rid of, despite her posturing, by simply producing an explanation she couldn't disprove. Lucian, on the other hand, would not. HE would simply torture Compton until he got the truth, which would take very little time. The blond woman stared at him incredulously.

"What do you mean, Vincent is no more?"

"I mean," he spoke slowly, as if addressing someone of limited intelligence, "that Vincent has met the True Death this night. He is gone from this Earth."

"Are you actually admitting to killing the King of Texas?"

"He challenged me. He lost. I was well within my right to destroy him."

"He was your King!"

"He has not been my king since I resigned my area, Nan. He was a much younger vampire who foolishly threatened what was mine and challenged me, as you seem to be doing at this moment. Do you wish to challenge me, Nan?"

He could see her shrink before his very eyes. SO, she was fond of issuing threats and posturing, but unable to back it up with actions. Just as he'd suspected.

"Enough Nan. It is my job to deal with these matters, and I will do so. I suggest you keep your mouth shut before Godric shuts it for you."

The woman looked furious, but wisely said nothing more. Godric turned his full attention to Lucian, waiting to see what the other man would say. Lucian would be a match for him, should it come down to a fight.

"Walk with me, Godric."

Godric nodded his agreement, eager to be away from Nan Flanagan and Bill Compton. He matched Lucian step for step as they walked the grounds, keeping an ear out for anyone who might follow.

"You say Vincent threatened what was yours?"

"The human Vincent claimed was a necromancer—she was my human wife. Vincent was more than aware of that claim, and he pursued her out of his territory. In my presence he announced his intention to kill her after he killed me. Eric and Compton can bear witness to that fact."

"You killed one of our own, a King, for a human?"

Godric nodded at Lucian's disbelieving stare.

"Vincent knew the risk."

Lucian looked thoughtful. Godric couldn't remember enough to know whether that was a good sign.

"You put me in a difficult position, Godric. I cannot let pass the murder or a king over a mere human. No self-respecting vampire would do such a thing."

"No self-respecting vampire would let an upstart youngling challenge him and alive. IF there is no respect for age and ability, there is only chaos."

Lucian smiled a not-reassuring smile, before turning around and beginning the trek back to the house.

"True enough. I will not decide this immediately. We will stay the day here. Nan," he called as they reached the porch to see the other two waiting for them, "Inform the Authority that I won't be returning before tomorrow night. Tell Roman that our meeting will simply have to wait."

Everyone could see the retort only barely choked back by the face of the vampire population at being so ordered. She finally nodded and stepped off to make her phone calls.

"Compton, I will expect your hospitality until this is resolved."

"Of course, Magister. I have maintained my family home in Bon Temps. If you would care to accompany me?"


	13. Threats become reality, part 3

Mercy tugged at the restraints that held her to the chair. She wasn't sure how long she'd nodded off, but it couldn't have been too long. She still had feeling in her hands and wrists. At least Ava hadn't been taken with her. Alcide and Debbie should be able to keep her safe.

She stopped tugging when the door opened. So far everyone she'd seen had been human, but one of her captors had told her they were at the home of the Louisiana King. She'd been expecting a visit from either him or Vincent since she was handcuffed to this chair. She was shocked when the door opened and it was neither of them.

"You've caused quite a bit of trouble, little human. Trouble I don't need."

_The ballroom was absolutely teeming with bodies. It was the first ever publicly held fundraiser given by vampires, and it had somehow become an event that no one of importance wanted to miss. Mercy felt ridiculously out of place in the turquoise silk ball gown she couldn't ever hope to afford on her teacher's salary. Only Godric's hold on her arm kept her from bolting._

"_You're doing wonderfully, Mercedes."_

"_You're a horrible liar," she hissed at him, wanting the humans at least to remain ignorant of her nervous state. She couldn't hope that the vampires wouldn't hear her, not with their supernatural abilities. The man-child had the nerve to smirk at her as he led her further into the room. Mercy tried her best to keep it together as she glided past politicians and oil magnates, all vying for the vampires' attention, and money._

_The majority of vampires who greeted Godric Mercy didn't recognize. Vampires had come from all over Texas and beyond for this event; the ballroom was full of strangers. Isabel had briefed her on what would happen at the fundraiser, and what she could expect, including nearly every vampire present paying their respects to Godric as Sheriff of the area. She noticed that they were also stopping to pay their respects to Vincent, who had set up his own little area for holding court. She'd met the King of Texas twice before, and each time he gave her the feeling that she needed to take a hand-sanitizer shower. Ugh. If Godric wanted her cooperation, he would keep her away from Vincent for the whole of the evening._

_There was one unknown vampire in particular that Mercy was especially wary of. He stood apart from the other vampires who mingled with the humans, viewing the proceedings with a look of utter distaste. She had to wonder, if he was so opposed to this even, what he was even doing here. The look he gave her whenever he happened to catch her eye gave her a chill._

"_What is wrong, Mercedes?"_

_Godric was looking at her with some concern._

"_I'm fine. This one guy is just creeping me out."_

"_Who?"_

_He followed her gaze, and she could have sworn she saw him wince._

"_Of course. Let's just get this over with then."_

_Before she could properly object, he was guiding her over to the very man she'd just decided to completely avoid at all costs._

"_Lucian, I don't believe you've met Mercedes. She is my human. Mercedes, allow me to introduce Lucian, Magister of North America."_

"I didn't ask Vincent to chase me across state lines, Magister. That was all his own doing."

He smiled, and it was no more reassuring now than it was the first time they met.

"He claimed that you are a necromancer," Lucian continued as he pulled up another gilt chair and took a seat directly in front of her, "That Godric had met the true death, and you brought him back. That is a serious charge, human. What do you say to it?"

"That being King apparently doesn't preclude one from being an idiot."

That earned what seemed to be a genuine laugh. Mercy idly wondered whether that was good or bad sign. According to Godric, Lucian could be quite sadistic when he wanted.

"Vincent was a fool, I'll grant you. But he had a more than academic interest in you, and Godric. Why is that?"

"You'd have to ask him. All I know is that he's afraid of Godric, for some reason."

"And you don't know why? Convenient."

"I'm telling the truth. I don't know why Vincent was so interested in me; I'm only human. And I have no idea why he would be so afraid of Godric, apart from his age. I knew very little about the man, and I was happy to keep it that way."

If she could see any benefit in lying, she might be tempted to try it, but she couldn't. If the Magister, the vampire responsible for administering justice over all of North America, thought she was lying, he could easily rip her apart. She'd prefer not to meet that unpleasant eventuality.

Lucian stared at the human who'd managed to stir up so much trouble for him. He admired her spirit; she faced him unflinchingly even when he could see how afraid of him she was. She was brave, for a blood bag. He thought he might even be able to like her, if not for their current situation.

She was right; Vincent was a fool who didn't know when to leave well enough alone. He was would be inclined to ignore the entire event, was it not for the fact that Vincent was a king. She was telling the truth when she claimed she knew of no reason Vincent would come after her; he could tell that she was human. He was inclined to believe that Vincent had used the necromancy claim as an excuse to pursue her.

"An unusual name; Mercedes. How did you come by it? I've not heard it use in quite some time."

Mercy blinked at the abrupt change in subject, but hoped that meant he'd decided not to torture her for information.

"The Count of Monte Cristo was my father's favorite book. And since my mother's family descended from President John Adams, my middle name is Abigail, if you're curious."

"Interesting. But tell me, after being involved with Godric for so long, how have you managed to remain human? Godric is not known for waiting so long for something he wants."

"Yes, well, not two months after meeting him I was handed the responsibility of raising a half-brother I never knew existed."

The explanation wasn't satisfactory. Lucian had never known Godric to give consideration to the humans involved in something he wanted. Then again, he had gotten rather strange in the last decade; probably due to this human.

Of course now the problem was what to do with this human of Godric's. Letting her go back to Texas would paint a large target on her back for those who were loyal to Vincent. And once he carried through on his sentencing for Godric, there would be plenty of others who wanted to harm the girl, for other reason. He would hate to see such a spirited human killed by petty vampires; she at least deserved a useful death.

There was also Godric to consider. He had the perfect opportunity to force Godric into taking the post he the Authority was anxious to have him fill; a post Godric would absolutely refuse to fill without proper incentive. If what he'd heard about Godric offering himself to that lunatic human Steve Newlin was correct, the threat of the true death wouldn't be enough to force his acquiescence. This human, however, just might be the necessary catalyst. Plus, just on principal, he hated the thought of simply letting her go.

"And so he left you human. Interesting."

Mercy was shocked when he didn't try to torture her, and even more shocked when he stayed another half hour making conversation. She couldn't' guess what he might be up to and it worried her. Especially when he said he'd have someone bring her some food after he heard her stomach growling .What was he playing at?

TB-TB-TB-TB-TB-TB-TB

Debbie was growing worried. And worse than that, she was growing angry. She saw how concerned Alcide was over Mercy's disappearance. She couldn't blame him, since she was concerned herself, but they should never have been involved with this in the first place. It was vampire business. It was Eric fucking Northman's business, which Alcide had sworn off doing.

"I don't like it. She's been gone too long," Alcide all but growled, and Debbie darted a quick glance at Ava. She liked the quiet little girl. Maybe one day she and Alcide could have one like her. What would it do to this child if her aunt didn't come back? This was why she hated vamps; they destroyed everything.

"Maybe you should call that number she left."

As soon as the humans in black suits armed with some wicked-looking firearms showed up on the front porch, their guest had written down a phone number and told them to call it if she didn't come back. Debbie was hesitant to use it; it belonged to a vampire for one thing, but it also meant giving up on the woman being alive. Still, it was almost sundown, and Mercy had been picked up even before breakfast. She'd been gone the whole day.

"Not yet," Alcide insisted. He shared Debbie's worry, but he couldn't bring himself to make the call. Not only would he have to call this Isabel, but he would have to call Northman and tell him that Mercy was gone. He would love to know who those suits were. He'd never seen them before in his life, but for some reason Mercy had elected to go with him.

"When is Aunt Mercy coming back?" Ava asked nervously, and Alcide turned his attention to her.

"I hope she'll be back soon, sweetie."

"C'mon Ava. I know where we can go that has a huge trampoline. We can play until it's time to get ready for bed."

Alcide wanted to protest that it wasn't safe, but he could see how worried the kid was getting. Besides, over at Elizabeth's Ava would be surrounded by she-wolves. There probably wasn't a safer place in Shreveport. The females of the pack had been nothing but nice to Debbie, even while he was delaying joining the pack himself. He probably ought to join, if only for Debbie's sake. It might do him good, too. He just didn't like what he'd seen of their leader.

"I think that sounds like a plan. How 'bout I drive you over there?"

He knew Debbie wouldn't ask him to go to any of the 'wolves homes, since he was set on not joining. The smile she direct his way told him he made the right call. And this way he could keep an eye on Ava too. He might have failed at keeping Mercy safe (even though her volunteering herself to those men couldn't be blamed on him, as Debbie said more than once) but he'd be damned if he failed at keeping this little girl out of harm's way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Godric was awake; long before Eric, and long before sundown. His child lay still, deceptively innocent looking when he was dead to the world. He would never regret bringing this remarkable creature into their world. They'd stayed up past the dawn, sharing memories as more of his own returned to clarity. He was glad of the time spent with his child. He only wished he could remember this other progeny Eric spoke of; this Nora. He would like to have remembered having a daughter.

He was anxious for this evening to proceed. With Mercedes safely with the werewolf Eric trusted, he could face whatever judgment Lucian might pronounce with a clear mind. Even if this meant years in a silver-lined coffin, he couldn't regret ending Vincent. If he had it all to do over again, he would have acted no differently.

Curious as to what Mercedes was doing at the moment, he dug out his cellphone and called her. It went to voicemail, but he wasn't concerned. If she was occupied with Ava she might not hear it ring, or she might just choose to ignore the call until it was more convenient to answer. He left her a brief message and stated that either he or Eric would call her back once tonight's business was concluded. It would be pointless for her to try to return his call.

"Awake already?"

He looked over to see that Eric had woken, and was busying himself with stretching his impossibly long body.

"For some time now. They'll summon us soon."

It was nearly sunset; Lucian wouldn't wait long after that. He would want to be done with the whole thing as soon as possible.

"Then you should feed. Going to see the Magister on an empty stomach is not a wise idea."

He had to agree that Eric had a point. If he did end up in silver by sunrise, it would be a very, very long time before he had the chance to feed again. He let Eric summon one of his human employees, and he quickly glamoured her into submission. He had no desire to terrify the girl who worked as a housekeeper simply to flavor the blood. She was good at her job. Eric would hate having to break in a new one. He was surprised to find that Eric did not feed; he simply watched, and waited for his maker.

"Eric?"

"I can wait until I get to Fangtasia. Do you require more?"

Eric's concern would be endearing was he not hovering over him as if he really was the adolescent he appeared to be.

"No, Eric. She is sufficient."

The ringing of the house phone interrupted whatever Eric might have replied. It was strange that anyone would call the house phone. Anyone who had business with Eric called his cell, not the land line. They both heard the day man answer it, and Eric felt as though his stomach dropped to his feet as Godric calmly changed his clothes, preparing to face the Magister.

"You don't have to do this, Godric. You can run. The Magister won't follow you if you're out of North America."

Godric smiled slightly at his child's concern. Given Lucian's feelings towards Vincent, he would be unlikely to pursue if Godric chose to leave the country. But he would not abandon Mercedes, and she was unlikely to want to leave.

"I could not leave Mercedes, Eric."

He child only barely bit back a growl at that declaration. He did not expect Eric to understand what he only barely understood himself; this bond with a human that was strong enough to override even his sense of self-preservation.

"If he decides to lock you in a silver coffin for a decade, you'll still be leaving her. Take her with you and run, Godric. Get beyond the Magister's reach."

"It will be alright my child."

"You can't know that."

Eric swore softly when his day man knocked on the door and cautiously opened to inform them their presence was required at Compton's mansion. He swiftly changed his clothes and joined Godric. Even if he wasn't needed as a witness, he would not leave his maker to face this alone.

They were ushered into the King's private study when they reached the mansion, and Eric fought hard to keep his expression neutral as Nan Flanagan glared at them both. He wanted to wipe that expression off her face. Godric simply ignored her, his eyes focused solely on the Magister.

"Well you showed up quickly. That's in your favor."

Godric took a seat in a chair, and Eric assumed a stance behind him. He kept his eye fixed on Bill Compton, who was silently watching the proceedings. If things went badly and Godric needed to flee, it would be necessary to eliminate all witnesses quickly. He would start with Compton, who would be the easiest to kill.

"Roman wants to know why you didn't handle this last night," Nan directed at Lucian, and Godric managed to suppress a smile. The woman still didn't seem to realize what a fine line she was walking, or how dangerously close she was to over-stepping.

"Roman will simply have to get over it, and you may tell him I said so. This required deliberation. Now, Godric,"—and just like that Nan was dismissed from Lucian's mind as he turned his full attention on the smaller vampire. This was a delicate situation, given how likely Godric was to initially rebel at his sentence, and the Viking hovering protectively over him.

"It's unfortunate that this turned out the way it did."

"Vincent brought it upon himself."

"Of that I have no doubt. But he was still King, which complicates things. Normal judgment for such a crime would be the True Death, but I don't necessarily think it's appropriate here."

Godric waited for Lucian to get on with it. The older looking vampire was more—theatrical—than he remembered. Or perhaps he was simply trying to build up the anticipation, and prolong the dread of his judgment.

"Godric, you have not only destroyed one our number but you have deprived a territory of its king at a critical time, and you must answer for both of these. Therefore you must not only fulfill Vincent's responsibilities by taking his place as king, but you must make a new vampire to take the place of one that was lost."

Godric gripped the armrests so tightly he was surprised they didn't break. Lucian couldn't have concocted a more agonizing punishment if he'd tried. To have to serve as king of any territory—the bastard was enjoying this. Godric could see it in his face.

"And how long is this sentence to last," he managed to grind out behind clenched teeth.

"Oh, I think at least half a century, before we re-evaluate you. As for the other half of your sentence, it will be carried out tonight."

A nod from the Magister was all that was necessary to send the king's human bodyguard out of the room. They must already have someone in the mansion that Lucian intended to be Godric's third child. He gave no thought to the poor soul whose life was about to be so irrevocably altered; his thoughts were all for how Mercedes would handle this sentence of his. A baby vampire would demand the little free time that would be his as king. It would make sharing his evenings with her next to impossible.

Something was wrong. He could hear the extra heartbeat that meant the guard wasn't returning alone, but he knew that scent. It was a scent that shouldn't be anywhere in the vicinity of Bill Compton's home.

"What is the meaning of this Lucian?" he demanded as the door opened again and his Mercedes was hauled into the room, her hands shackled together.

"I would say meet your new child, but I believe you already know each other."

Godric was out of his seat too fast to be seen, and the human guard who dared to lay hands on HIS Mercedes was against the wall, dangerously close to having his neck snapped.

"Godric, control yourself!" he heard Compton hiss before being silenced by Eric.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You wouldn't want to terrify the girl now, would you?"

"Release her, Lucian!"

"I don't think so. Not until you've calmed down."

Godric growled but released the human. Lucian had his hands just resting against Mercedes' throat and he could not risk her life. He couldn't risk Lucian snapping her neck before he could reach them.

"Good. I'm glad you can be reasonable about this."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Nan exploded. "He admitted to murdering a king, and you want to hand him Texas and turn his little pet?! You've lost your mind. The Authority will never stand for this!"

Lucian paused from unlocking Mercy's shackles to glare at the woman who'd dared to yell at him.

"I am the Authority's representative in this case, not you. So I strongly suggest you back your shit down now, Flanagan! Or I'll have your fangs for interfering with my verdict."

Nan quieted, and resumed her seat. Godric almost wished she'd continued her challenge; it would have given him the chance to get Mercedes out.

"Godric, proceed."

"I won't do this."

He couldn't' turn her. Much as he wanted her, he couldn't force her into this life knowing that she didn't want it. He would end his own life, again, before he hurt her so badly.

"You're mistaken if you think this is a negotiation, Godric. This is my judgment. And you will turn the girl, or I'll drain her dry, right here and now. It's your decision."

"Not her, Lucian!"

"Yes, her! Now do it before you try my patience. I can always end you both."

Godric looked to Mercedes, but she shook her head. She didn't want to be turned, even if it was the only way for her to survive. But Lucian didn't make false promises; if Godric refused again, he would kill them both. He couldn't let her die.

Nor could he deny how much he wanted what Lucian offered in this command. He wanted her immortal; he wanted her as his. This verdict was the perfect chance to take exactly what he wanted while giving Mercedes someone else to blame. Only a fool would deny themselves such an opportunity.

"Forgive me, Mercedes," he murmured before pulling her to him and striking. She pushed against him, but her struggles were ineffective. Her blood was rich, and he had to force himself not to drain her completely. As soon as he heard her heartbeat falter he pulled his fangs from her neck and tore into his wrist, pressing the wound against her lips.

It was always a strange feeling, giving his own blood to another. Perhaps because it was natural to take others' blood; the idea of giving his own was repugnant. The blood was sacred. Yet he willingly spilled his so that Mercedes would rise tomorrow night as his progeny. He encouraged her to take far more than was necessary to turn her, until finally Eric had to separate them. He felt her shudder in his arms and he held her close as her body died, and she went completely still. The missing heartbeat alerted everyone to the fact that it was done.

"Are you satisfied, Lucian?" Godric asked around his fangs, never taking his eyes off Mercedes. At the moment he neither looked nor felt anything like the boy Mercedes knew; he was every in the monster those at the AVL accused him of being.

"Judgment has been rendered and the sentence carried out. I'm satisfied. I'll give you four nights before I come to Texas to check in on the both of you."

Lucian rose to his feet, ordering Nan to join him. Eric stood closely by his maker's side when the Magister stopped in the doorway.

"Consider the girl a gift, Godric. Compensation for the post you'll be assuming. Don't make me regret giving her to you."

Godric nodded, not trusting himself to speak until they were gone. In his current mood he would tear Nan Flanagan to pieces if she made just one more remark. He didn't trust that he wouldn't react similarly to Lucian saying anything more.

"How did he find her?"

He looked to Eric. Lucian should never have found Mercedes; only he and Eric knew where she'd gone. Not even Bill Compton knew, as he'd arrived after the fact. Eric looked him directly in the eye, only the barest twitch alerting Godric that his child knew something about how she ended up here.

"He threatened to kill Pam if I didn't tell him where Mercy had gone," he answered unflinchingly.

"You handed her over to him?"

"I did. And you can take your vengeance later, but right now you need to put her in the ground."

He knew that; he knew he needed to bury them both in the ground until the next night. But it wasn't as if he'd planned for this possibility, and prepared a place to take her. Louisiana was Eric's home, not his, and they weren't in Shreveport anyway.

"You're welcome to use my property," Compton quickly made the offer, "the grounds are plenty large enough, and the cemetery borders the property. You can go to ground anywhere you wish."

It was as good a place as any, since he certainly didn't intend to fly back to Texas with her and try to put her to rest there. He accepted Compton's offer, and all too soon he found himself digging a grave near the cemetery, where it wouldn't be readily noticed. As soon as it was deep enough he gently settled Mercedes inside, they lay down in the dirt, arranging him around her. Eric looked down on them from the edge of the hoe.

"You will see to the child until Mercedes wakes."

"I'll take care of her," Eric promised before he started filling in the hole, tossing dirt on top of them. Godric settled, pulling Mercedes into his arms. When the sun set tomorrow night, she would rise a vampire; and she would be all his.


End file.
